Is 13 My Lucky Number?
by PetraNori
Summary: My own twist and narration of Brothers Conflict from Ema's POV. I'll be basically fleshing out the episodes in the anime and trying to stay true to the story over all. Humor, conflict, love, fluff, and maybe even some intense moments with the gorgeous Asahina brothers! More details inside!
1. Intro

**Hey all! As the summary states, this is going to be my version of Brothers Conflict with some twists here and there. I'm going primarily off the anime because I can't seem to find a decent copy of the manga and all my attempts at finding a translation for the light novel have come up blank. This is as much for me as for you guys so let me have a little leeway ;) I'm probably going to be adding and taking away from the anime's dialogue on a regular basis and changing situations around a little because I really hate how completely blank and submissive Ema is in the anime and I want her to be more of a likeable character to the readers and not just to these brothers. Also, forgive me if your favorite brother is not the same as mine... I'll probably make my preference known eventually but for now I really will try my best to keep the interactions between all the brothers as equal as I can so that everyone can enjoy their favorites without feeling like they haven't been done justice. So this isn't quite a translation of the novel and it isn't quite an elaborate play-by-play of the anime either, but I hope it's close enough in accuracy to the story to still be enjoyable. I will be writing names the way they'd be written in English, so just a heads up. I'm starting this out in present tense narration, but it's not my go-to writing style and so if it ends up needing to be changed I'll go back and rewrite. Let me know how I do! Diving right in -**

"Remember, you have to keep your guard up against those wolves! There are thirteen of them after all. You can't trust them!" I pull my gaze away from the sight of trees speeding by the train window to look down at the little grey squirrel sticking out of my bag. Juli's been repeating these words for weeks, ever since I first found out I would be moving.

"I know, Juli," I reply, petting him behind the ears. "I got it the first twenty times you said it." I give him a smile. He knows I'm only teasing, but I can see his front paws cross indignantly over the bag's zipper.

"I don't know what your father is thinking, letting you move in with so many men you've never even met before. It could be dangerous for you there!" His voice is squeaky with irritation on my behalf. I have to love the little guy, even with his constant nagging. He does it for my safety.. and with Papa always working or traveling Juli has been the closest thing I've had to a family for as long as I can remember. My mother died giving birth to me and while I know Papa does the best he can to care for me, he's also a famous explorer. He can't really stay at home for long periods of time.  
A few weeks ago Juli and I received the news that Papa would be remarrying. And his bride-to-be is none other than the clothing designer Miwa Asahina! I don't know her very well, but she's beautiful and has been very kind. Papa seems happy and, really, that's all I want for him.

"You know as well as I do that Papa and Miwa are busy. I can't live with them. I'd be interrupting their work... not to mention their home life. And they wouldn't send me somewhere unsafe. I'm sure all thirteen brothers are lovely." In a way, I think Juli's constant mantra of safety tips is calming me down. It's kind of nice knowing I'm not the only one who's nervous. But unlike him, I have another feeling bubbling under the nervousness. I'm excited! I'm on my way to a place I've never been before and when I get there I'll actually have a family. Not just any family, either. I'll have thirteen new brothers to live with and grow up around. I'm not too sure how other families work, but I feel like getting so many new siblings makes up in some large way for living by myself for so long. I stroke the back of Juli's head again to quiet him down a little and try to ignore his little squeaks and "Hmph!" noises as he mutters about what animals these men must be.

I have to smile and bite my lip to keep from laughing or pointing out that Juli _is_ an animal and that surely that can't really be an insult. I lean my head back against the plastic of the train seat. Even with all the nervousness and the worries of my little companion, I only have one real wish:  
I hope they like me.


	2. Part 1

**I'm taking this bit from the manga, or what I saw of it, and running from there. Hope the twist is okay with you!**

The houses here are huge. That's my first impression of my new neighborhood. I think I walked around the block twice without realizing it. Everything looks so vast. From his perch on my shoulder, I can see Juli's ears sticking straight up and his tail keeps swiping nervous tickles against my neck every time my suitcase hits a bump in the sidewalk.

"This can't be it, surely?" I look back down at the scrap of paper in my hand. The address scrawled across it matches the lettering on the gate but beyond it the building is a sprawling condo-style mansion, angular and bracket shaped with artistic floor-to-ceiling windows in the sides of the tall grey walls.

"It's a whole fortress of wolves!" Juli squeaks in my ear. "Let's go back. Don't go in there, Chi!" His tail has flared up like an electrified bottlebrush and I try my best to sound sensible and braver than I currently feel as I reassure him. This place looks a whole lot more daunting than I imagined.

"Go back where? Papa sold his apartment when we left. The lease ended today. Besides," I take a deep breath and sigh at the little creature. "I'm tired of living alone. I want to have a family to live with... to laugh with and have some excitement. I want a real home." Juli makes a clucking noise against his big front teeth and I hope I haven't offended him.  
"You'll always have a family while I'm around. But fine, into battle. I won't let them lay a hand on you, I promise." He gives me a firm little pat on my shoulder with his tail and I'm happy to see that his fur has smoothed down a little. The little fuzzball really is my closest family, even if we aren't kin or even the same species. He's always looked out for me. I want him to be happy here too.

"Look out, LOOK OUTTT!"

The shouting and a loud, chime-like ringing noise catch me off guard and I spin around to see a little sandy-haired boy swerving around the corner on a bicycle. I reach for my suitcase to drag it out of the boy's path but one of the little roller wheels is caught in a crack and the stupid thing won't roll. I have to get it out of his way. He's going to crash right into it.

"Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, movemovemove!" The little boy is still shouting at me, rapidly gaining momentum from the street's hillside slope, but I can't let him hurt himself by crashing! I give a final hard tug on the suitcase handle and the wheel pops free, just in time for the boy's front tire to miss the heavy rolling bag and skid into my side instead. My breath leaves me in a foolish sounding "Ooof" as I hit the pavement. There are colors swimming in front of my eyes as I lie on my back struggling to catch my breath. When my vision begins to clear, the boy is bending over me... and he appears to have grown an extra head.

I shake my own head, pull my hair back from my face again and scoot myself into as much of a sitting position as I can manage. I note with little surprise that I've scraped my elbow during the fall. I look back up at the boy. From my seat on the ground I can now see there's an older man, probably in his late twenties, craning to look at me over the boy's shoulder.

"You're so stupid! Why didn't you move? I hit you! I hit you! Are you okay?!" The boy looks terrified and I realize I probably wiped blood on my face when I reached up to pull my hair back from my eyes. I offer him a weak smile and try to tell him I'm fine but my voice is still hoarse from having the wind knocked out of me and all I can manage is a whispery "Yeah.."

The man kneels down and shoos little Sandy-hair out of the way while I stare dazedly at the pair of them.  
"I'm so sorry about this." His dark brown hair catches the sunlight as he bends over me and takes a look at the scrape on my arm.

"I'm a doctor... do you want to come inside and let me clean that up?" I must be staring at him like a crazy person, because he hurries to reassure me,

"It's just in here. I'm Masaomi Asahina." He moves as if to extend his arm for a handshake, but then seems to decide I'm too banged up at the moment for proper introductions. All the same, he's an Asahina! I do my best to regain my voice and introduce myself.

"I'm sorry! I'm Ema Hinata! I'm your..." sister? Can I say that so boldly? I'm getting flustered with him staring down at me and I can feel my face start to flush in embarrassment. I duck my head and look around for Juli and I'm relieved to find him sitting next to me protectively, looking only slightly more scruffy and worse for wear. But he isn't hurt... I'm so glad.  
In the time it takes me to find Juli, Masaomi seems to have gotten over his shock at finding his new sibling nearly flattened in the road. He quickly offers me a hand and helps me to my feet and from behind him I see little Sandy-hair again, hopping around and looking worried.

"Your things arrived just earlier today. I carried them up to your new room," He supports my left side, takes ahold of my suitcase in one hand and motions for the boy to help him.

"I'm so sorry your first meeting with us has been such a bad experience so far."

"I'm Wataru!" The boy pipes up. "Why didn't you move when you saw me coming down the hill?" I take a good look at him. He's not as little as he looked when he was kneeling down, and the top of his head comes right up to the height of my chin as he takes my free arm and helps me to the gate. I smile at him in thanks and explain.

"The wheel of my suitcase got stuck in a crack in the sidewalk and it wouldn't move. I couldn't just let you hit it. You might have gotten hurt." Saying it out loud brings a slight blush to my cheeks. I've never had any occasion to be so protective of someone. But a big smile breaks out across Wataru's face as he looks up at me and gives me the first big hug I've received in years.

"She's my big sister for a few minutes and she's already looking out for me," he calls over my shoulder at Masaomi, who is grinning at me apologetically. But I feel a strange, comfortable warmth start to dissipate my nervousness as I look at the two of them. Maybe it can really be this easy to be close with my new siblings. For a moment I picture the three of us doing the kind of things siblings always do in movies - building sand castles, going to amusement parks, eating popcorn at a movie together. That is the life I want, I think. This special kind of closeness I've never had before. I smile at both of them. I can't help it.

I can hear Juli echoing my thought process as he scampers behind me.

"If they're all like this, maybe they aren't actually wolves at all!"


	3. Part 2

**Third part is up! I'm taking a few liberties with the character introduction so I can develop them a bit better and add a bit more emotion. Leave a review and let me know what you think?**

"... just to be on the safe side though. Don't leave my side while you're here, Chi! I'll..."

We'd been in my new room unpacking my boxes for the last hour and I'd gotten increasingly curious about the rest of the house, despite the beautiful and alluring view of the garden from my window. I left Juli in the room with his bowl of almonds and went to look around. He'd be fine for a little while. He needs the rest just as much as I do, I think as I slip out into the hallway to let him have some peace.

The house itself is confusing. Three of the five floors belong to the brothers... my brothers, now. And the other two, as far as I understand, are apartments belonging to other families. But the top three floors are big enough that I'm still not sure where anything but the kitchen is. Masaomi showed me my room after he finished cleaning up my arm, and promised me a proper tour as soon as he could, but was called off to work. I waved off his apologies and assured him it was nice to have some time to myself to get to know the place anyway. I can't be much help to my new brothers if I don't even know the layout of our building.

The inside looks much more welcoming than I thought it would. The outside is so grey that I was worried it would be equally dark indoors. But everything inside is bright and colorful, and the windows feel even bigger from in here. I stop in the middle of my new living room to admire the way the sun's rays are playing across the carpet and onto my feet, and suddenly a movement from behind me causes me to jump.

"... Hello?" I ask. A slim boy with white-platinum hair sidles out from behind a tall potted plant on the other side of the sofa and immediately pulls me in for a hug.

And I don't know what to do. My heart is beating hard against my chest, though whether it's from the hug or from being startled I'm really not sure. I'm not accustomed to being hugged. This must be what brothers do... but my arms are firmly tucked to my sides and I'm not sure I would be brave enough yet to hug him back anyway. The arms around me give a gentle squeeze as if he knows I'm new to this whole sibling thing.

"It's a 'Nice to meet you' hug," his voice is quiet and friendly in my ear and I find myself smiling slightly at this funny new older brother of mine. I open my mouth to return the greeting when a smack on his head knocks him away from me. I jump again, this time catching sight of the first brother's dark haired doppelganger. Papa told me there were twins in the family... this must be them.

"I'm sorry about Tsubaki," the dark-haired twin turns to me with an embarrassed smile, "I'm Azusa." I feel Juli land on my shoulder and start bristling his fur protectively again. How long did it take him to find me from my own room, I wonder? Poor Juli. I didn't mean to worry him. But he seems too preoccupied with the string of threats he's muttering at Tsubaki to accept any kind of apology from me.

"Not fair, Azusa," Tsubaki groans theatrically from where he landed on the sofa. "That hurt." He pouts for a second but then grins wide and throws his arm around his brother. "Do we look similar?"

"We're identical twins," explains Azusa somewhat unnecessarily, but he has a small apologetic smile on his face that instantly reminds me of Masaomi's. He's humoring his brother's comedic introduction and I smile at both of them, grateful that they've welcomed me.

"You two are too loud. You're going to overwhelm her," comes a voice from the other side of the room. A tall, handsome blonde emerges from the hallway pushing a tea tray that clashes strikingly with his business suit.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Ukyo... the lawyer" he nods at me as if to acknowledge the fact that Papa has already told me about all of them.

"It's very nice to meet you." I try to make a mental note of everyone's names, suddenly aware of how bad it would look if I confused them. Juli, however, seems to have given up on making a good impression. He leaps from my shoulder onto the floor and stands in front of my older brothers' feet as if to dare them to come closer.

"There are more and more and more of them!" I hear him squeak irritably. "Just one after the other! Stay away from Chi!" I cast an apologetic glance at Ukyo, whose slippers Juli seems to be eyeing darkly. Tsubaki puts his arm around my shoulders again, which sends Juli into a fit of static-furred hysterics and I try to calm him down.

"Juli, shhhh-"

"- Tsuba-nii, what do you think you're doing?" I'm interrupted by a voice from the mezzanine landing and look up. I'm surprised for a second. This brother I actually do know.

"Oh, welcome home, Yusuke!" Tsubaki calls cheerfully, waving up at my classmate with his free hand.

"Welcome home? Why do you have a girl in the living room, you-" He catches sight of me and I guess he must recognize me from school after all because his face turns almost as red as his hair. He stops talking abruptly and rushes down the stairs to get a closer look. "You?"

"Hey, Asahina-kun..." I offer him a shy smile, realizing too late that I've addressed him as my schoolmate instead of as my new brother. But he doesn't look at me, and I drop my gaze back down to the carpet in embarrassment. He's glaring around the room at his other brothers - our other brothers - as if this is all some kind of elaborate joke. It's Ukyo who finally speaks with a note of condescension in his voice.

"Tsubaki, I'm rather sure I asked you to tell Yusuke about this?" He raises an eyebrow at his younger brother, but Tsubaki only smiles gloatingly, showing a small dimple in his right cheek as he closes his eyes and laughs at poor Yusuke's shocked expression. I'm not sure whether to laugh too, or to bury myself under the sofa cushions. Yusuke didn't even know to expect a new sister... let alone a girl from his own class. I look at him again, trying to catch his eye and silently express my apologies, but he must be indignant with rage at his brother.

"You didn't tell me on purpose," He accuses Tsubaki suddenly, and his platinum brother takes his arm off my shoulders and puts his hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"I? Not tell you on purpose? You make me sound like a bad person, _Asahina-kun_!" I blush. I know Tsubaki's only trying to remind Yusuke that I'm in the room and to behave himself, but instead the name has a mocking ring to it and I can't help but realize that Yusuke is the only one here that I haven't yet greeted like part of my family. I open my mouth to try to correct the mistake, but Yusuke's rounded on me this time and the words stop dead in my throat.

"It doesn't matter," he tells me flatly, looking into my eyes with a cold expression. "I won't accept you as my sister."

Suddenly I can feel tears start to well up in my eyes and I curse myself for acting so fragile. There are thirteen brothers, I try to reason with myself. Not everyone can like me right away... it's bound to have happened. But as much as I try to think my way out of it, it still hurts. I was never friends with Yusuke at school but we got along fine. He was quiet around me, but always friendly enough... always polite. Had I really made such a bad impression on him? I feel Juli tugging at the hem of my shirt. I look down at him and help him scrabble the rest of the way up my sleeve.

"Are you okay, Chi?" He slips under the curtain of my hair and nuzzles my neck, and I blink until my eyes are free of tears again.

"I'm fine, thank you Juli." I give him a little squeeze of thanks. I'm amazed once again at how much he looks out for me, how gentle my little squirrel friend is. "Thank you..."

"So," a voice from the stairwell cuts through my thoughts, "we finally meet, little sister."

I look around and catch sight of the speaker. He's tall, as tall as Ukyo, with long, rough-cut blonde hair and the purple garb of a monk. I'm not sure what to make of this one, and he winks at me as we walks out of the shadows into the living room with the rest of us and takes my hand in his. I hear Juli hiss next to my ear, and then he scampers back down my arm with a screech as this new brother leans over and presses his lips against the back of my hand in an anachronistic kiss.

"Juli, no!" I cry, but it's too late. Did I really say he was a gentle squirrel? "I'm so sorry!" I tell the blonde monk, fluttering my hands about uselessly as if I can reverse the fact that my squirrel just took a sharp swipe at his nose. "I'm making so many bad impressions today!" I didn't mean it as a dig, really, but I notice out of the corner of my eye that Yusuke shifts uncomfortably at my last sentence. I feel my cheeks burn pink.

"It's Kaname," the monk replies jovially while rubbing the red scratch on his nose, "and I'm fine. On me, I'm sure the scratch will just look dashing, no?" He offers me a smile, which I return uncertainly. The atmosphere in the room seems to have dropped in a dizzying sort of way and I look around at my new brothers. How many haven't I met? Half? I scoop Juli back into my arms and sit down on the couch for balance. I catch sight of Wataru and Masaomi coming back in from the kitchen. As if reading my thoughts, Kaname speaks up again.

"You still haven't met all of us, eh? Two of our brothers live on their own, so you won't meet them just yet. Another is on tour right now." Casually, he flicks a button on the TV remote and the loud music of a pop concert comes blasting in from the surround sound.

"That's Fuuto Asakura, the idol." He gives me a smirk as he says the word, as if it's a joke between just the two of us. I don't get it.

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen him around lately," another brother whom I haven't met speaks up from inside the kitchen. He pops his head around the corner and gives me a wave and a gentle smile.

"His real name is Yuuto Asahina. He's our brother too. Welcome to the family, by the way." I smile in return but my mind feels too full of names to ask for his. I'm not sure I'll remember it, or maybe we've already been introduced and I've simply forgotten. This new thought worries me and the spinning in my head seems to get worse.

"Are you okay?" Masaomi suddenly asks, reaching across the coffee table to steady me.

"I - Yes, I'm fine," I place my hand against the coffee table and try to sit up straight, but spots start to appear before my eyes. The last thing I hear is someone moving to catch me and Masaomi's voice saying, "She must have hit her head harder than I thought..."


	4. Part 3

**Chapters will get longer after the preliminary intros are all out of the way but I'll try to keep posting them within a few days of each other! Darn my crazy schedule! Be lovelies and review? :3**  
I'm back in my new room when I wake up. It must have been a few hours, I think, because the sun is just setting through my window. When I roll over, Juli is there on my pillow looking worried.

"Chi! You're awake!" But he's not the only one in the room. "I made sure these scoundrels didn't do anything sneaky while you slept."

I look around and see Ukyo pulling the curtains shut against the yellow evening light. Masaomi is reclining against the wall next to Kaname... have they been there long, just watching over me?  
"I- I'm sorry to make you worry!" I try to push myself into a sitting position but Masaomi hurries to the side of the bed and presses me gently back down. He holds the back of his hand against my forehead.

"You have a small fever still, but no concussion. I wanted to stay by you to make sure."

"It isn't your fault, little sister," This time it's Kaname who speaks from his easy pose against my desk. "Don't apologize to us. It's lucky that we have a doctor here." Masaomi gives me a modest little smile and tilts his head at the acknowledgement.

"Let me know if anything hurts." He kneels beside my bed and slips a hand under my neck, checking the back of my head for any injuries from my fall. I wince a little as his fingers move across my scalp and brush against a tender area. I feel like the bruise he's discovered must be the size of a golf ball. "Found it. I'm sorry, I hope that didn't hurt too much. I'll get you an ice pack."

"No need. I brought one," replies a soft voice from the doorway. Leaning to my right, I peer past Kaname and see a princely looking man with long, light hair and brown eyes holding a folded towel and a bag of ice. "I heard voices from the hallway and came to help." He slips past Kaname and into the room.

"Hello, Chi-chan. You've had quite a day so far," he says as he kneels by my bed. Masaomi stands to make room for him and I feel Juli perk up from his seat on my pillow. Chi-chan? I wonder how he knows my nickname. "I'm Louis. The eighth son." He smooths a strand of hair back from my face and gently places the towel-wrapped ice against my head.

"You have beautiful hair, Chi-chan. Will you let me arrange it when you're feeling better?"

"Louis is a hairdresser," Ukyo explains and Louis gives me an ingratiating smile.

"It will be so nice to have a little sister to help with hair and makeup now." He says to me. Kaname sits up from his uncomfortable-looking lounge against my desk.

"Oi, don't you do anything to change my Ema's pretty face." He reaches for my hand and makes to kneel beside my bed but Ukyo prods him away with a 'behave yourself' look on his face. I can't help it. I let out a small laugh at their antics. My new older brothers are so sweet and funny. All four of them turn to me and smiles begin to spread across their faces as they see me failing to suppress my giggles.

"You're looking better," Masaomi states, his mouth still turned up at the corners. It gives him a youthful look that makes it hard to believe he's really the eldest brother. "It's good to see you laugh. For a while I thought that meeting us all so quickly had overwhelmed you to the point of exhaustion." I feel my face heat up as he brings this to light.

"That is partially true," I admit shyly. "It might take me a while to remember everyone's names and discover all your personalities. I hope that's okay." I look around the room at the different pairs of eyes trained on me: brown, golden brown, bright blue and deep grey. They all hold a certain understanding expression and I feel relief.

"Of course, little sister," Kaname nods encouragingly at me. "It will take time and we'll help you along as best we can. Remember this is your home now, too." This serious side of my new brother takes me by surprise. Maybe this is what he's really like? It seems much closer to his age.

"However, as far as personalities go you really don't have to make the effort. My personality is clearly the best! Come to me whenever you want and you will discover that too!" He sweeps over to the bed, his purple robes swishing around him, and places a quick peck on the back of my hand before Ukyo can stop him a second time. Then he blows me a kiss from the doorway and slips out, narrowly missing the shiny black Italian leather shoe Ukyo has hastily lobbed after him. Juli hops onto my chest in a protective flurry of anger. ... So maybe I was wrong about Kaname being so mature. But at least he's got a unique sense of humor, I suppose.

"Well," this time it's Masaomi who speaks up. Ukyo is leaning out into the hallway to retrieve his loafer and I notice that someone has stuck a bright blue rabbit sticker on the heel of his sock. I immediately wonder if Wataru was the culprit. Masaomi follows my gaze and gives me an amused shrug.

"How does soup sound for dinner, just to be on the safe side while you're recovering?" I nod gratefully and he smiles down at me, seeming pleased to be able to help. I feel touched by his caring nature. As the others get up and begin to leave the room to prepare for dinner I catch the sleeve of his shirt and he turns to look at me.  
"You must really be a wonderful doctor to want to help people so much. Your family is so lucky to have you... Thank you for making me a part of it." I'm surprised to see a light blush color his cheekbones pink. He tilts his head to the side and considers me for a moment.

"This family is also lucky to have you, Ema. I think your nature will bring us closer together than ever. Welcome home." He leans down and gently readjusts the ice pack, and then presses a kiss to my forehead. The gesture catches me off guard and he seems surprised with himself too because his cheeks turn an even deeper shade of pink and he quickly rushes out the door with a soft "See you at dinner!"


	5. Part 4

**New chapter up! I'm enjoying straying from the original story a bit. Hope you are too! Thank you so much to those of you who have posted reviews! Please keep them coming! I get excited for reviews the way some people get excited for Halloween candy :P so let me know what you think and what you like/dislike! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**  
After dinner I head back to my bedroom. The soup was delicious - my first dinner with my new family! But Masaomi kept running back to the kitchen to carry silverware and dishes for Ukyo and his face turned red every time our eyes met. Throughout the whole meal I wanted to tell him I really didn't mind. We're family now and he and Wataru were the first two brothers I met. I suppose this sibling thing will take more getting used to in regards to every one of us before it becomes normal.

But it's only been one day. I'm overwhelmed... but more than anything I'm awed simply by the fact that my brothers are such exemplary people. They seem to have such a nice dynamic, living together the way they are. I hope I can add to that and find my own niche in the life of this huge family.  
It takes me almost a full hour to locate all my toiletries in the myriad packing boxes I've yet to sort through, but as soon as I find my hairbrush I pick up the carefully drawn map Kaname made for me and navigate my way to the nearest bathroom. I leave Juli asleep on the pillow, this time with a little note telling him that I've only left to wash off. I hope he won't worry about me while I'm gone but it's been a long, strange day and I need the familiarity and comfort of a refreshing shower.

It takes me some time to figure out which way is up on the map, but I finally find my way. Halfway across the fifth floor I hear voices and see two silhouettes sitting on a couch down below.

"I can't contain it any longer," a voice says softly but urgently, "I know that it's wrong but I can't keep my feelings to myself. I... I love you!" It sounds like Tsubaki's voice. Does he have a girlfriend over this late at night? The gasp I hear in response doesn't sound female though. And I feel the blood drain out of my face when I recognize the second voice.

"I give in. I have struggled so long to hide it, but I love you too." That's Azusa's voice. His own twin! But... they can't really...

"Then let's be together always." In the darkness of the hallway I can see the two of them huddled side by side around a single lamp, their heads close together and their shoulders touching. What have I walked in on?  
My heart beating hard, I hurry past them and slide open the door to the shower room.

"Hmm?" Another voice stops me before I'm halfway inside and I blush from my neck to my ears in surprise. The tall, dark-haired basketball star, Subaru, is standing at the bathroom sink with his hair dripping wet and only a towel wrapped around his waist. I'm sure if Juli were next to me he'd be shouting about the whole mansion being absolutely crawling with men. But Juli is asleep on my pillow and I am frozen in embarrassment, my eyes locked on Subaru.  
He's well built, presumably from hard training, and I quickly back out of the doorway and avert my eyes. He follows me curiously through the door and doesn't seem to understand my reaction when I back away further.

"What is it?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me. A drop of water falls from his hair onto his bare chest and I feel my face heat up.

"You're, um..." I gibber ever so eloquently. His gaze follows mine down his torso where the water droplet has trickled into his belly button and pooled there. He seems to finally understand why I'm gawping at him like an idiot.

"I'm - sorry for interrupting you!" I stammer awkwardly as he slips back into the bathroom and reemerges a moment later wearing a t-shirt and blushing furiously.

"I'm not used to having girls in the house," He explains to me, but it sounds sort of resentful and I wonder if it wouldn't be better to just go back to my room instead of showering. Subaru runs his palm across the back of his neck and his hand comes away damp from his wet hair.

"Not that... What I mean is," my expression must have given me away because he seems even more uncomfortable now. I shake my head and pull my towel against my chest.

"It's okay, Subaru. Really. I think I'll just go-"

"What have we here?" I hear footsteps behind us and turn to see Tsubaki and Azusa walking up the hallway in our direction. "Not taking advantage of our new little sister are you, Subaru?" Tsubaki asks in a singsong voice. For a moment I forget the conversation I overheard on my way to the bathroom as I watch Subaru flounder for something to say. He's even more flustered than before and the fact that he's still only wearing a shirt and a towel probably isn't helping the strange situation. Finally, he seems to decide it isn't worth the effort and throws his hands in the air.

"I give up. You see the worst interpretation of every encounter! Why don't you go back to your scripts?"  
"Scripts...?" I look in confusion at the three of them.

"Azusa and Tsubaki are voice actors," Subaru explains through the door as he picks up his clothing off the floor and squeezes past me into the hallway.

"OH! So that's what you were doing earlier. I thought..." I trail off, catching sight of a small green booklet in Azusa's hand. The twins goggle at me as if I've grown extra limbs. Tsubaki seems to recover first because his expression turns sly and he wraps his arms around his brother's waist.

"That's right, we're forbidden lovers." He says and plants a kiss on Azusa's cheek. Azusa rolls his eyes at me and I relax a little, staring at the two of them in wonderment.

"I never knew having a family could be so confusing," I tell them and quickly add "With brothers like you I'm sure I'll never be bored here!" to stop the sympathetic looks that are slowly spreading across their faces. It seems to work because they brighten up at once.

"Of course!" Tsubaki says enthusiastically. "And when you're done with your shower come sit with me and I'll read to you on my lap like a brother, too!" His smile has turned devilish. The green script booklet suddenly smacks him across the back of the head.

"Too far, Tsuba-nii." Azusa reprimands and begins to steer him back down the hall away from me and I stand there and watch them leave with a perplexed look of amusement frozen on my face. At the bend in the hallway Tsubaki twists around and waves at me over his dark-haired twin's shoulder."Offer still stands!" And then they're both gone. I shake my head at the empty hallway and then slip inside the washroom to finally shower. I find it hard to believe my life has gotten so interesting in the span of a single day.

About a quarter of an hour later I leave the shower, wrap myself in my towel and head back to my room to get some sleep. I feel refreshed and calm and I wander back toward the elevator, enjoying the warm scent of the varnished wood floors. The hallways are completely dark now and I've gotten all turned around in this maze of hallways before realizing with a sinking feeling that I've left Kaname's maps in the bathroom. Having no idea which way I've come from, I figure it's better to keep searching for the elevator instead. I'll get the maps tomorrow when I can see where I'm going.  
I keep walking and the air is getting cooler as night settles. A light breeze blows through some of the strategically placed open windows and while it's all beautiful in the faint moonlight, I find myself regretting not changing back into my clothes before I left the bathroom. I'm starting to shiver a little and I don't like the idea of having to knock on doors and possibly wake someone up in order to get back to my own room... especially when I'm not wearing much.  
I see the outline of a staircase down the hall in front of me and carefully navigate my way to it in the darkness. Tucking my towel tighter around my body, I descend the steps and find myself in what I think must be the pantry. I feel along the walls for a light switch but when a minute or so of searching doesn't come up with results I resign myself to not being able to see and continue into the kitchen.

"What the hell?!" I jump in terror and back away from what appears to be the nearly invisible silhouette of a man I just ran headfirst into. A hand roughly grabs me by the arm and slams me hard against the wall and my heart is beating frantically as whoever it is uses his body to keep me pinned while he fumbles for some unseen light switch.  
A click, and the kitchen's runner lamps emit a sudden warm glow, which would be pleasant if I wasn't so scared of my attacker... and then I see who I've run into.  
Subaru has me pinned against the wall with his whole body, one hand frozen on the light switch while the other still holds my wrist firmly above my head against the tiled kitchen wall. My clothes are littered across the floor, where I must have dropped them in my fright and my one remaining hand is clutched around the top of my towel in a desperate attempt to keep it from slipping. We're nearly nose-to-nose, both of us breathing hard and I see color flood his face as we stare at each other.

"God damn, you startled me," he hisses through his teeth, relaxing his hold on my arm and leaning his head against the wall in what seems to be exasperated relief. "What are you doing down here?"

"I - I got lost on my way back to my room," I stutter, noticing from the warmth of his bare chest against me that he's still wandering around the house in his shorts. "There are so many freaking hallways here." I don't move away from him. My legs still feel like jelly from the adrenaline rushing through me and I'm not sure I'd be able to stand on my own. Of its own accord, my body's heating up from the physical contact and I don't feel so cold any more.  
A small laugh escapes his lips.

"Yeah, I remember when we all first moved in here." His forehead is still against the wall, eyes closed and his breathing finally slowing back to normal. "I was little and always got lost in the dark. Always had to follow Natsu-nii everywhere so the 'shadow-monsters' wouldn't get me." He opens his eyes and looks sidelong at me with a reminiscent smile. "That was Kaname's little joke on me... go to bed or the shadow-monsters will know. He told me they'd slip in through the windows and take me away if I was bad."

"And _were_ you bad?" I ask him, a smile spreading across my lips to echo his.

"Oh man, I was dreadful." He lets out a cheerful laugh that vibrates against my chest from our proximity and I can't help but join in. "I used to put gum inside Natsu-nii's trainers if he wouldn't take me with him to the track... and I hated taking baths. It would take at least three of my older brothers to tackle me into the tub before I would give up and get clean." At this, he seems to notice the water droplets dripping from my hair onto my arms and I see his eyes follow the drops down to where they hit the top of my towel. Immediately he jumps away from me.

"I'm s-so-sorry, I didn't realize you were..." His eyes widen at me and then he leans back in quickly to catch me under the arms as I start to slide down the wall. I smile apologetically up at him as he steadies me.

"My fault really... my legs still seem to be weak. You really scared me." I see his surprise change to worry and he reaches for my wrist again. I see his face fall as he notices a red mark from where his hand was.

"You scared me too... but I should have remembered you were in the house. We had a robber try and break in a few years ago. Nothing's happened since then but that's all I could think of when you ran into me. I'm so sorry!" He pulls me closer to the light, gently this time, and checks my back for any bruises. "You've spent one day in this house and it looks like I attacked you," His expression hurts worse than the bruises do. It looks like he wants nothing more than to sink through the floor and never be heard from again. I hurry to calm him down.

"I'm fine, really! I just bruise easily. It really didn't hurt. I bump into walls all on my own a lot of the time, you know," I lie. When I hit the wall with the force of his body against me it bounced the back of my head against the tile right where I'd hit it earlier and now it hurts again. But I can handle that. And I don't think I can handle the look he's giving me; as if he's just stepped on an injured kitten or broken the world's most beautiful vase or something.

"Seriously. Look." I show him my left ankle, where a small purplish mark has appeared. "I just did this tripping over a couch on my way here in the dark." This part is true. Those modern furniture designs have really sharp edges and I banged straight against one. I'm not sure if it makes him worry any less but his expression doesn't look quite as agonized any more so I must have done something right.

"You're the one who got hurt.. I should be the one making you feel better, not the other way around," he mutters. "At least let me take you back to your room."  
I'm not sure if it's a question or a statement, but either way I nod gratefully and begin to pick up my scattered clothes from the floor. He doesn't help me, which is just as well because my bra is only about a foot away from where he's standing. I pretend not to be aware of this as I gather everything into a kind of bundle using my shirt... and I think he's pretending he hasn't seen anything either, because when I look up at him his face is slightly pink and he's looking up at the ceiling as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world.  
He shows me back to the end of the hallway and then backtracks to turn the lights off. In the darkness, I feel him take my hand and we climb the stairs together.  
When we reach the elevator and the hallway floods with light I realize just how relieved I am that everyone else seems to be in bed. This isn't a situation I'd particularly want to explain to my new family and I think he's thinking the same thing. Even though it was all a misunderstanding, I can see his more playful brothers - Tsubaki and Kaname in particular - finding a whole handful of reasons to make fun of us for this.

He stops outside my door and I look up at him, or as much of him as I can see without any light.

"I don't know what the protocol is for rescuing me from my complete lack of direction... but thank you." I smile up at him and then remember that he can't see me so I give his hand a light squeeze.

"It's no problem. I'm just sorry the first time we end up spending time together has to be because I pinned you to a wall..." He squeezes back and lets go of my hand, bids me goodnight and then continues down the hallway. His bedroom must be on the same floor.

"Don't let the shadow-monsters get you!" I whisper down the hall at him, hoping he can hear me. A soft laugh answers as I close my door.  
Inside my new room, everything is dark. I can hear Juli's light rustles and snores and I find myself glad that he isn't awake. I quickly change into my pajamas and slip under the covers, taking extra care not to wake him. I don't really want to have to explain to my angry little squirrel why it took me an hour and a half to take a shower, or why Subaru walked me back.


	6. Part 5

**Getting a little bit speedier on the updating... please please PLEASE review?! It makes me so happy to get feedback!** **Thank you! :3**

I wake up early to let Juli outside. He jumps onto a tree branch close to my balcony and his fur shines golden in the morning sun as he tells me to scream if I need anything or if someone attacks me. I hope he'll eventually realize that they aren't going to hurt me. I say nothing about the events of last night. He'd probably have an anneurysm if he knew... but Subaru hadn't really meant to attack me and I feel safe around him. Juli doesn't need to know. I think it's a secret that can just stay between the two of us.  
Retracing my steps from the night before is a lot easier now that the hallways are full of sunlight. I start to recognize some of the paintings and other decor and use them as little reminders of which way to go. Still in my pajamas, I enter the kitchen and am surprised to see Ukyo wearing an apron.

"Oh, good morning Ema." He greets me with a wave of his oven mitt. "I wasn't sure which group you would fall into for breakfast." He draws a pink dot on a complicated looking chart attached to the fridge and I come over to see what he's doing. The whole thing looks like an incredibly elaborate calendar.

"Good morning, Ukyo-san... what is that?" I nod my head at the multicolored chart.

"This is how I keep up with who will be here for meals. All of us have our responsibilities in this house," he explains. "Mine is cooking for everyone so it's useful to know who will be joining us at each meal." He points to a little color-key at the side of the chart. Each color dot has a corresponding name: Red - Yusuke, Purple - Iori, Orange - Wataru, Dark Blue - Subaru, Light Blue - Louis... the list goes on and I'm thinking it might not be a bad way to double check the names of my new siblings if I ever forget who's who. Ukyo takes a pen from a nearby drawer and begins to add a new dot to the key.

"I hope you don't mind being pink," he says to me. "I'm running out of colors and none of the boys wanted this one." I laugh and shake my head. Making such a big deal over colors. Boys are strange.

"Good morning..." Over the kitchen counter I catch sight of the top of what must be Wataru's head. His hair is sticking up every which-way and he's dragging a fluffy blue blanket with him.

"Good morning, Wataru, " I lean over the counter to greet my new little brother and he smiles up at me with delight despite his obvious drowsiness. He still has pillow-lines on his cheek.

"I get to eat breakfast with Big Sis from now on!" He beams around at Ukyo. "She's sitting next to me!"

"Don't you think Ema might want to choose her own seat?" But Wataru shakes his head. "Nope, you're a lawyer. You'll say something sneaky to make her sit by you and I know it! I call dibs! Here, Ema, this chair is next to mine." He throws his blanket over his own chair and then jumps onto the sofa to wait for his food. I turn to Uykou again to see if I can help set out plates or do anything else and I'm surprised to see that underneath the apron, he's still wearing a suit. It's rumpled and unbuttoned near the top, and his tie is hanging loose, but it's definitely the same suit he was wearing yesterday.

"Not to be rude, Ukyo-san," I say tentatively, "but aren't those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?" He seems surprised that I've noticed and he runs a hand through his hair self-consciously.

"I was hoping no one would notice," he admits to me over the sound of the cartoons Wataru has just put on. "I'm on a case right now... a particularly tricky one. It's been a busy week and some times it's easier to just stay up at night and work. There's so much to do during the day." I see his eyes flit back to the kitchen chart and I look at the timestamps closely for the first time. In addition to the three scheduled breakfasts for people on different time constraints, there is also a note to prepare school lunches for Wataru and Yusuke... and I notice with a guilty twist in my stomach that my own pink dot has been added to that list. Then there's a scheduled lunch for the siblings who are still in the house, then afternoon tea and finally dinner. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. He really doesn't have much free time at all.

"Wouldn't it be easier to switch out your responsibilities with one of your brothers?" I ask. Surely someone else could do this for him. But he just shakes his head, a small smile warming his expression.

"Masaomi gets called in to work at the drop of a hat. We'd be coming home to a 40-percent chance of no food. And you haven't tasted Kaname's cooking." He lets out a laugh. "Just dreadful." I can easily picture Kaname excitedly preparing one dish while the other half of the kitchen dissolves in flames.

"Well what if I took over some of the cooking for you?" I offer, hoping it won't insult him. "It's incredible that you're juggling as much as you are but this case is obviously very important. You should focus on it." He considers me, a thoughtful expression on his features.

"Come on!" I chide, already grabbing a spare apron off a hook by the cutting boards. "I'll do my best and maybe eventually you can teach me how to make every ones' favorite meals. It will give you some free time and it will make me feel better about imposing on everyone by moving in so suddenly - -" As I say this last sentence, Ukyo catches my arm gently and tilts my chin up with his oven-mittened hand so I'm looking directly into those deep grey eyes.

"Don't ever say you're imposing here," he tells me softly. "It's a delight having you. Maybe you can't tell because you didn't know us before, but you're bringing everyone back home. Everyone's been coming in early for the past week to check if you'd moved in yet. A month ago I couldn't pull Iori off the computer or get Wataru away from the TV after school, but lately all they've asked about is you. We're all excited that you're here..." He gives me a self-mocking sort of look, "But we're guys and sometimes we don't express it all that well. Just keep it in mind."  
His words take me by surprised and before I know it my eyes are swimming with happy tears. I quickly try to wipe them away so I don't startle Ukyo or make him think I'm sad, but he seems to understand because he hands me a small paper towel and ruffles the top of my head gently.

"Oi, what are you two doing," A rough voice interjects from the hallway. Its owner, a bleary-eyed Yusuke, enters the kitchen looking irritable. His already-spiky hair is sticking up in the back like some kind of exotic cactus and I get the sense that he's really not a morning person.

"Fancy seeing you up so early," Ukyo ignores his question and set a glass of orange juice down in front of him. Yusuke gives a drowsy grunt of thanks and drains the glass in one go. Then his eyes fall on me and his cheeks go red.

"I'm... gonna go change." He quickly slides off the stool and heads for the stairs, but before he rounds the corner I catch sight of why he's blushing - his pajamas are a dark green fleece onesie... and they have a dragon tail sewn on the back. The hood is thrown back over his shoulder but I can see the little felt teeth of the dragon's mouth just as Yusuke disappears back upstairs.  
I must have a wide grin on my face when I turn back to Ukyo because he's laughing.

"A gift from his brother, Natsume." Ukyo explains. "He swears it's the most comfortable thing he owns... but apparently it's not acceptable to wear in your presence. I haven't seen him that red in the face since Tsubaki and Azusa teased him about liking a girl in his class."  
I don't even try to hold back my laughter at the whole odd situation. From now on, Yusuke will have the nickname "The Morning Dragon" in my mind.

"I don't know why he feels embarrassed to wear it in front of me," I admit. "Honestly, I wish I had a pair of those. They're great!"

"I'll be sure to pass on the compliment to Natsume." Ukyo begins gathering the ingredients for pancakes and I shoo his hands away.

"Go take a shower and get into your own pajamas," I tell him. "I'll handle the pancakes... Yes - with whipped cream and strawberries!" I answer as Wataru shouts requests from the adjoined living room.

"I should warn you, I only wear boring pajamas," Ukyo quips as he extricates himself gratefully from the apron and oven mitt. "And boring work clothes. You won't see me in funny things like dragonsuits." A thought strikes me and I catch his hand before he leaves the kitchen.

"Before you say that you might just want to check your socks," I tell him with a grin. I see him raise an eyebrow at me over the frame of his glasses but nevertheless he does as I suggest. He lets out a loud laugh of surprise when he sees the rabbit stickers adorning the underside of his feet and looks at me in wonderment.

"I saw them when you threw your shoe at Kaname last night," I explain. "Wataru must have stuck them onto you."

"I guess I'm not quite as boring as I thought," Ukyo declares, his face still lit with mirth. He ruffles Wataru's hair in passing and then climbs the stairs, still chuckling to himself.

Half an hour later I serve pancakes to Wataru, Tsubaki, Azusa and a red-faced but un-dragoned Yusuke. Even Juli comes down out of the oak tree in the garden, lured by the scent of strawberries. I watch them from the kitchen for a moment, pleased to see that Juli and my new brothers aren't showing any kind of animosity this morning. Then I load up a plate of pancakes, add some sliced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream, and head upstairs to deliver them to Ukyo.

I find my way as quickly as I can, hoping the pancakes won't be cold by the time I reach him, and finally arrive at his door. I knock and a bare torso and blue-and-white striped pajama pants greet me at the door. Ukyo's face is completed obscured by a towel.

"Just a second, Masaomi," his voice is muffled by the terrycloth as he runs his hands over it to dry his hair.

"Um.." Maybe I should have waited a little longer before bringing him food. He turns back around, tossing the towel into a laundry basket by his door and does a double take when he sees me.

"You're... not Masaomi." He states the obvious and as if on cue our faces both turn pink.  
I turn my gaze toward the hallway and out of the corner of my eye I see him hurriedly pull on a shirt.

"No, not Masaomi," I say awkwardly, holding up the plate. "I just wanted to bring you this. I'm sorry if they've gotten cold." It's strange seeing Ukyo in a t-shirt and loose pajama pants. He has a trim figure underneath his customary suit. With his glasses off and his hair still damp and tousled from the towel I might have pegged him for a college student. He looks less severe and much more relaxed... or I suppose he _would_ look relaxed if I hadn't just walked in on him topless. He accepts the plate gratefully and rolls his eyes in a sort of boyish delight as he takes a bite.

"These are so much better than the pancakes I make," he tells me happily. "They're so light! What's your secret?" I blush at the praise and suppress a smile as he sinks down cross-legged on his bed to eat. He looks so youthful like this.

"I mix whipped cream with the batter before I cook them," I explain, looking curiously around the room. A degree hangs on his wall, and above that is a picture of three boys at the beach. Ukyo catches me looking and beckons me closer.

"That's Masaomi, Kaname and myself the summer after my second year in college," he tells me with a reminiscent smile. "We went to our mother's vacation home and spent every day in the water, either at the beach or in the pool. By the end I was burnt like a lobster, Masaomi had mild sun poisoning and Kaname's hair turned green from the chlorine. Our younger brothers thought it was hilarious." I laugh with him, studying the picture of the three boys. They have their arms thrown around each others' shoulders carelessly and Masaomi's head is tilted back in uproarious laughter.

"It was a great summer... maybe the best yet. Before work started giving me age lines," He grins up at me. The boy in the picture is tanned, with the body of a runner and the same bright smile and blonde hair. Without thinking, I run my fingers through Ukyo's hair, pulling it down out of its customary style so that it falls in a fringe over his eyes.

"You haven't aged a day," I tell him.

"Ukyo-" A voice from behind me causes us both to jump, and Ukyo drops his fork back onto the plate with a clatter. I turn and see Masaomi leaning in the doorway. He raises an eyebrow at his brother and Ukyo quickly gets up, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Ema chased me out of the kitchen," he explains, "and demanded I rest for today... which is just as well. She's a great cook. You have to try these pancakes!" He pushes the half-empty plate into his brother's hands. "I was telling her about the summer we spent at the beach."  
Masaomi casts a suspicious look at me.

"Great... so you know all about how I got sun poisoning and started singing gibberish to the nurse," he glares at Ukyo as he takes a bite of strawberry.

"What?" I giggle at him, trying not to laugh harder as a speck of whipped cream smudges the corner of his mouth.

"You've given yourself away, Masao-nii," Ukyo laughs. "I didn't tell her anything about what you did... but now you're going to have to."

With an exaggerated sigh Masaomi settles himself against the wall and wipes the whipped cream off his mouth.

"I had a crush on this nurse who was working at the hospital on the island," he admits with a roll of his eyes, "She had these big brown eyes and this smile that made me lightheaded... When I landed myself in there with sun poisoning I was delirious. Started trying to sing her love songs but they all came out with words that didn't exist. She probably thought I was crazy. The memory is fuzzy but my dear family took great pleasure in filling in all the embarrassing details so I'd make sure to remember. Apparently I made up a ballad called 'You're a Fasalfadan'" He whistles a few bars of a song I don't know and throws his head back in laughter. He doesn't look like he's changed much since the picture either.

"Speaking of remembering," Masaomi turns to his brother. "I came to get you to go to the store. We have a lot to buy." I look from one brother to the other in confusion.

"It's Subaru's birthday tomorrow," Masaomi explains to me. "We usually don't make a big deal out of every birthday, but he's turning twenty this year." Only a year and a half older than me... I thought he was older than that. There's a crease between Ukyo's eyes as he remembers.

"Of course," he says, "I completely forgot." He looks better for having a shower, but he still seems exhausted.

"I've confined Ukyo to his bed for today," I pitch in, hoping I'm not being too bold. "It seems he worked on his case last night instead of sleeping." Masaomi gives his brother a sharp look, as if he's done this before." Is there any way I could help instead?" He seems surprised by the offer, but happy enough to accept the help and we agree to meet at the elevator in an hour.  
When Masaomi heads down the hallway to get his own helping of pancakes, Ukyo's words surprise me.

"Thank you for looking out for me. You really are the sweetest girl I've ever met, Ema." He looks at me thoughtfully for a moment and then ruffles my hair again.

"I'd be a bad sister if I didn't watch out for you," I tell him with a smile. "Now get back to bed."


	7. Part 6

**Short, fluffy chapter between Ema and Masaomi before Subaru's birthday party! Enjoy, and thank you so much for the reviews so far! :D They make me so happy!**  
I take a quick shower and then let my hair air-dry as I pull on a pair of jeans and a blouse from my half-unpacked suitcase before meeting Masaomi at the elevator. I have to double back twice before finding the correct hallway but at least I'm learning. Juli perches on my shoulder and I'm a little reassured by the fact that he doesn't know his way around yet either.  
When we reach the elevator Masaomi is waiting for us, spinning his car keys lazily around his finger.

"Ready to go?" he asks me cheerfully. I nod and smile. He's changed out of his usual work-appropriate button-down shirt in favor of a loose blue tee featuring a very confused looking fish. It looks... cute on him. Despite Masaomi being the oldest and a doctor to boot, I get the sense that he's also the most genuinely lighthearted of all the brothers except maybe Wataru. Maybe that's why they get along so well.  
Juli curls up in the back seat and soon falls asleep and I'm left thinking about the story Ukyo and Masaomi told me this morning.

"What happened to the nurse on the island?" I ask him once we're out of the neighborhood. A slow, embarrassed smile creeps across his face and I'm amused to see that the back of his neck turns a little red.

"I came back to visit and apologized to her once I got better... I even brought her flowers. But it turns out she had her eyes on my younger brother." He flashes a grin at me. There are no hard feelings hidden in that open face. "Kaname swept her right out from under me," he laughs. "He's always been the ladies' man of the family. Our mother jokes that when he was too little to be left to his own devices, she had to take him with her to the atelier and he learned to flirt with the models before he even learned how to walk." I find this all too believable and we share a moment of laughter.

"I actually ran into that same nurse at a medical convention just a few years ago. She recognized me immediately and asked me to coffee... it turns out nothing really happened with Kaname after all. In the end, she didn't like him as much after his hair turned green." I'm still laughing in spite of myself. Masaomi's light mood is infectious and the sun is shining through the car windows.

"When she asked you to coffee," I venture curiously, "did she confess feelings for you? Maybe say that she'd chosen the wrong brother?" He shakes his head, eyes still trained on the road.

"No, honestly she wanted to know what had happened to Ukyo." I widen my eyes at him in surprise.

"All those years and she didn't ever think about you and wish she'd chosen differently?" I'm perplexed.

"Why does that surprise you so much?" He asks, a slightly puzzled look on his face. I wave my arms around in a half shrug as if the answer is obvious. He raises an eyebrow at me. Clearly he's not getting it.

"I just can't believe that she wasn't interested in you at all. You share similar professions so there must be some common interest there. But more than that, you're such an attractive man, with a solid career and a great personality. I don't see why any woman would turn that down." When I look over at him he's goggling at me so intently that he nearly runs a stop sign. My face flushes as I realize how strange that must have sounded.

"No! What I mean is... Well, I'm sure Ukyo is equally... Ugh!" I cover my face in embarrassment, completely lost for words. But after a moment I feel the warmth of his hand on mine and he gently pulls my fingers away from my blushing face.

"I think I understand what you meant," he gives me an encouraging smile but his eyes are dancing as if he's laughing inside. "Thank you." Then a little furrow appears between his brows and he releases my hands, returning his focus to the road.

"By the way... did something happen between you and Ukyo this morning?" he asks a moment later, catching me off guard. I raise my eyebrows inquiringly at him, although he isn't looking at me now. I'm not sure what he means.

"This morning I noticed he was wearing his suit from yesterday, if that's what you mean... And then he admitted he hadn't slept so I demanded he let me take over the cooking so he could get some rest. And I brought him up some pancakes. He was telling me about the picture in his room when you arrived." I leave out the bit about walking in on him half-naked for the sake of every one involved. It was embarrassing enough the first time around. But Masaomi seems less troubled after my quick summary of events.

"Okay, I just figured I'd ask. It seemed like there was -" But I don't get to hear what 'there was' because we've arrived at the market and Masaomi falls silent as he squeezes the car into a tight parallel spot nearby.  
The sudden stillness of the vehicle wakes Juli and he looks around drowsily before flicking his ears back and resuming his slumber. I roll down a window for him and let him sleep. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but he can be just as grouchy as Yusuke when he first wakes up.

"Okay..." Inside the store, Masaomi takes a long list out of his pocket and looks at it dubiously. "I'm not very good at this," He admits to me. "Usually Ukyo is here to supervise and make sure I don't pick up all the wrong ingredients." He looks so hopeless, surrounded by baking supplies, that I can't quite suppress my laughter.

"That's why I'm here. We'll tackle the big bad groceries together, " I assure him with a grin. He flashes me a white smile over the top of the list and then grabs my hand. We start perusing the shelves, calling out words from the shopping list like it's a memory game. Our pace gradually picks up as Masaomi becomes more comfortable with the ingredients, but then he drops a sack of flour into the cart and it rips open with a puff of white that covers an entire leg of his jeans and even dusts the top of his head.

"Oh, damn..."

Seeing this prestigious, pink-faced doctor covered in flour and looking forlornly around him sends me into fits of hysterical laughter and I'm on my knees in the mess, clutching the shopping cart for support as I struggle to breathe. My reaction seems to snap him out of his flour-induced stupor and he begins to laugh too, all the while apologizing to a shopping clerk who hurries to clean up the powdery puddle. I can see some of the other customers turning to stare at us.

Masaomi pulls me to my feet and we head back down the aisle as unobtrusively as we can... but as we turn the corner the laughter bubbles up inside me again and I have to lean against him in order to stay on my feet. Inches from my face, I notice that the confused fish on Masaomi's shirt has developed a white flour goatee and the sight sends me wheezing with giggles straight against his chest, where more flour snows down from his shoulders and hair. His body stiffens momentarily as if he doesn't know how to react, but then he's hugging me tight and we're both giggling again and smudging what's left of the flour all over each other. I can't begin to imagine how we must look to our fellow shoppers, but before I know it we've escalated into full-blown shenanigans. When we reach the dairy aisle I'm wearing a cake pan like a tiara and Masaomi has an icing cornet stuck onto each ear like a set of horns. We're laughing and holding hands like it's the most natural thing in the world and by the time we find our way into the checkout line the cashier is staring at us like we've just walked out of an amusement park.

As we arrive back at the car with our spoils I reach up and dust off Masaomi's hair . Great clouds of flour billow out and I have to lean against the open car door so I don't fall over as we laugh ourselves into a delirium in each others' arms.

"This is the best time I've ever had at a market," Masaomi declares, bracing his arms against the side of the car to keep from collapsing on top of me. My laughter subsides a little. I'm caught between the padded interior of the vehicle and Masaomi himself, and then he wraps his arms around me again. "Thank you for making this so fun," he says into my ear.  
I hug him back without hesitation.

"Best shopping trip ever," I agree with a grin. Juli is still snoring peacefully in the back seat and doesn't wake up for the entire ride home, while Masaomi and I laugh ourselves silly in the front seats.


	8. Part 7

**That's almost all the brothers introduced now! I'm having fun with the intros and adding a little fluff here and there. I hope you're enjoying my spin on the story and thank you so so much for reading and reviewing! Please continue to do so? :) Subaru's birthday party next chapter, yay!  
**

Back at home Masaomi and I lug the groceries into the kitchen and begin putting everything away. I stock the fridge while he puts items in the pantry and as he turns I notice he still has a smudge of flour behind his ear. The sight is too much and I begin to giggle again, which causes him to turn around and look at me. His confused expression almost perfectly matches the expression of the fish on his t-shirt and the combination of his face and the flour still dusting his hair has me laughing until I'm leaning against the refrigerator door for support. He begins laughing too as he leans over and wipes a streak of flour off my forehead. I feel much more comfortable with Masaomi after spending the day shopping with him. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair to get the flour out and gradually his laughter fades until it's replaced by a gentle smile. He brushes my hair back from my face and chucks me gently under the chin. Then something beeps from his pocket. Frowning, he checks his phone.

"... I'm sorry, Ema. It looks like I'm gonna have to leave you with the groceries and head back to the hospital. I just got called in." He looks at me and the little furrow between his brows is back. He looks disappointed.

"I hate to go so suddenly. I was really having fun today." His brown eyes look so sad for a moment that I can't help but give his hair a last small ruffle. It works, because he smiles again briefly, and then checks the time."I really have to go," he tells me and proceeds to grab his keys and head down the hallway in the direction of the elevator.

"You're going to work like that?" I call down the hallway after him. He pauses and looks down at his shirt and jeans, which are still powdered white on the back like some kind of reverse dalmatian. He changes direction with a laugh. As he passes through the kitchen on his way back to the stairs, he places a hand on my shoulder.

"What would I do without you," he smiles down at me and I shrug and grin up at him in amusement.

"Probably not be covered in flour in the first place," I admit. "I can't quite see you and Ukyo having the same kind of shopping experience." He tilts his head as if acknowledging my point, but then leans down and presses his lips to my forehead for a long moment.

"I prefer the mess I'm in, then," he assures me, a familiar soft smile playing across his face, and then dashes away up the stairs to change clothes.  
When I turn back to the pile of groceries I see Juli eyeing me skeptically over the top of the bag of trail mix I bought for him.

"What?" I ask my little squirrel, and he flicks his tail at me as if to say 'Like you don't know'. I raise my eyebrow at him quizzically.

"You're letting them kiss you now?" He demands, irritably picking out a handful of walnuts from the bag. "How am I supposed to watch out for Chi if Chi won't watch out for herself?"  
I sigh at him and scoop him up off the floor, placing him on a counter closer to eye level.

"They're my family, Juli. They aren't going to hurt me. And Masaomi is..." An involuntary grin plays across my lips as I think back to the two of us walking to the checkout counter with baking goods on our heads. "... a lot of fun. He's a really good guy. Just give him a chance and I know you'll like him too."  
Juli gives a small snort of derision and reaches into the bow of trail mix I've set in front of him.

"I doubt it," he tells me around a mouthful of dried cranberry. "I can try to abide that kind of behavior from him because he seems to be relatively pure hearted... but not the others! Not that Subaru, definitely!" For a moment I wonder if he's somehow found out about the nighttime incident in the kitchen, but he doesn't look agitated enough for that. "I know _he_ seems all quiet and focused on his basketball but I've seen the way he looks at you! And the red haired one too!" I roll my eyes at him and scratch behind his ears.

"Yusuke barely even talks to me at school, let alone here. And as for Subaru, I respect him a lot actually. He's volunteering paving trails this weekend with his basketball club, in addition to keeping up with his studies and qualifying for a full ride as a basketball star. I don't think many people realize how hard he works." I'm not sure Juli's listening to me any more. He drops his food back into the bowl suddenly, looking around.

"Juli, what's wrong?" I ask him.

"I think I smell a wolf!" He's completely forgotten what we were talking about already, and I shake my head at him as I put away the last of the groceries.

"There are thirteen brothers living here... you're sure to smell them even when they aren't actually in the house," I reason with him, but he looks so determinedly distracted and I know he won't relax until I check. Wandering into the living room, I'm surprised to see there actually is someone there. A boy with clipped, styled brown hair and a designer hoodie is lying on the sofa breathing deeply. I recognize him from the other side of the TV screen just the other night.

"That must be Fuuto," I tell Juli, who's perched himself on my head for a better view. Suddenly the boy stirs, opening sleepy hazel colored eyes. He blinks at me in surprise for a second.

"What are you doing in here?" He mumbles groggily. "Which paper sent you? Do you really think you're going to get anything by sneaking into other peoples private homes?" he sits up and glares at me severely over the back of the sofa.

"Uh, no... I'm Ema," I hurry to explain. His expression doesn't change much, but a roguish glint appears in his eyes.

"Ah, my new big sister. No one told me you were so cute... But you look stupid with that thing on your head," he points to Juli, who has fluffed himself up with an angry hiss. I'm at a loss for what to say. Fuuto leans in closer to me as if inspecting my face.

"So speechless?" He reaches up and traces the outline of my lips, and I stare at him in startled confusion as his fingers brush my skin. "You really must be stupid after all."

He stands up, stretches and rearranges his hoodie before turning to look at me. He's only an inch or two taller than I am.

"Well, catch you later, stupid big sister." He flicks his hand at me in a dismissive sort of wave and climbs the stairs to his bedroom without another glance back.

Atop my head Juli is in a fit of rage, swishing his tail wildly back and forth as he lets out a string of curses after the 'wolf mongrel'. I have no idea what to think of this new brother of mine.

* * *

At Juli's request, I head back to my room but instead of unpacking like he suggests I pop in Zombie Hazard and pull a fluffy blanket over my knees as I reach for my game controller. Juli gives a sigh and curls up on my pillow. He knows it's a losing battle trying to talk me out of gaming and I get the sense he'd much rather I was in my room than spending my time in what he's taken to calling 'open wolf territory', i.e, the living room.  
A few hours pass as I work my way up through the higher levels for umpteenth time. I check the clock on my wall and realize dinner is fast approaching, and I change into a long sleeved shirt and leave Juli asleep on the pillow.

Sure enough, when I enter the kitchen Ukyo is already there. He smiles at me in greeting and I'm pleased to see that he looks much more rested. He's changed out of his pajamas and it strikes me that this is the first time I've seen him barefooted and in jeans. It's not a look I'd have expected of him, but it suits him all the same.

"Feeling better?" I ask him as I grab an apron and tie it around my waist. He nods gratefully.

"Much. Thank you for taking such good care of me." I blush at the sincere gratitude in his voice and smile up at him. Even with his hair in its usual style and his glasses in their place on the bridge of his nose, I can still see the sunburnt boy from the picture.

"What can I do to help?" I ask him and I'm surprised when he gives me a sheepish grin.

"I've actually finished preparing dinner. I still had time after my nap and I figured I'd get a head start." I can't help but feel a little disappointed. I was looking forward to learning some cooking advice from the chef of the family. He seems to notice my expression, though, and he pulls a package of meat out of the fridge.

"However," he says, "would you like to help me prepare the meat for Subaru's birthday dinner? It has to marinate overnight." I smile and hold my hand out for the package, grateful for a reason to stay and help out. He slides it along the counter at me and I pull out a cutting board, but...  
On closer inspection, I realize I've never prepared a piece of meat this large before. I look over my shoulder at Uyko, who is rinsing vegetables in the sink.

"Um..." I begin. "I hate to admit it but I have no idea how to slice this," I tell him. He gives me a gentle smile and dries his hands on a nearby dish towel.

"It is rather large, even compared to a normal brisket pack," he agrees. "Here, I'll show you."  
His left hand covers mine and I blush slightly as I feel him standing close behind me. He places his right hand over mine as I hold the knife and positions my fingers around the handle.

"You strip away the fat and silverskin first," he instructs, beginning to slice a thin layer off the top of the meat. He repeats the process a few times, pulling small strips away from the top, and then releases my hands when I think I've understood.

"Your turn," he says softly from behind me and he braces his right hand against the counter to give me cutting room. My face heats up again slightly as I feel his left hand come to rest on my hip, just above my apron pocket, but I do my best to focus on the brisket in front of me. I repeat his motions, and soon the top layer of the beef is clear and even.

"You're a fast learner," he compliments me, and I feel his breath against the top of my head as he flips the piece of meat over. "Now on this side you want to leave about a quarter inch of fat for insulation," He makes a few slices to show me how much to trim and I find myself leaning back against his chest as I try to gauge my measurements. He frees both my hands, placing his own hands gently around my waist. I can feel his chin brush against my hair as I tilt my head to the side and for a moment I regret wearing long sleeves. It's so warm in here...

"Well, well, what's going on in here?" A voice I don't recognize causes me to jump, and I'm thankful that Ukyo's hands have been resting safely on my waist instead of in the immediate danger zone of the cutting board. We both turn to look at the speaker and I'm surprised to see a beautiful woman with long, red hair smiling mischievously at us. She's the only other female I've seen in the house so far and I can't help but wonder if she's the girlfriend of one of the brothers. Maybe even Ukyo himself?

"When did you get back?" he asks her, releasing my waist and crossing his arms over his chest. His cheeks have a faint pink tinge.

"Oh, about twenty minutes ago," the woman answers. "The back of your neck is red..." She points out. "You're blushing! How sweet. Is this how you get the ladies, brother? Teaching them how to handle meat?" My face flushes scarlet at these words and I stare at her, surprised at how forward she's being. Ukyo, however, simply shakes his head calmly. Wait... _brother_?

"Don't take him seriously," Ukyo says to me. "Hikaru may dress like a lady but he doesn't speak like one." ... he? I must look incredibly confused because Hikaru lets out a laugh and pulls me into a big hug.

"I've been dying to meet you!" She - he? - says against the top of my head before pulling back. "I'm Hikaru, the fourth son." Seeing that I'm still lost, he continues. "I work as a noir novelist. In my line of work, sometimes it's much easier to pass as a woman. People don't ask nearly as many questions, and you wouldn't believe the details they spill when their guard is down." He winks at me and sets his purse on a kitchen stool.

"So, tell me how you like it here so far," Hikaru prompts me, and the three of us sit down at the kitchen counter to chat, brisket and veggies forgotten for the time being. Slowly but surely I'm settling in here, I think, smiling as I watch the two siblings joke together. Little by little, my family is becoming complete.


	9. Part 8

**I said that this would be the chapter featuring Subaru's birthday party, but it turns out I lied! Gomen ne! However, that will be coming up next chapter. I hope that the contents of this one make up for the wait time! I had fun writing it :)  
In other news, I've figured out how I plan to end the story! No spoilers, but I'm very excited about it - not to worry though, the ending is still a long ways away! For now, please review and let me know what you think. As ever, thank you so much for reading this and your reviews are what keeps me motivated to continue writing!**

Dinner is a quiet event. Hikaru, Ukyo and I are joined by Tsubaki and Azusa. Wataru is staying at a friend's house for the night and Subaru is at a late basketball practice. I find that I'm more tired than I realized and quickly head to bed after helping Ukyo with the dishes.

* * *

The following morning I wake up late and head straight to the kitchen. Ukyo looks up from the dining room table as I enter. He's perusing a stack of paperwork and looks busy, but he still stands up to make me breakfast. I laugh and guide him back down to his seat, hugging him from around the back of the chair gratefully as he gives up and sits down.

"Thank you, really," I smile against his shoulder, "but I can make my own breakfast. Just focus on your case for today."

I put together a light meal of toast and fruit and we sit in comfortable silence until he has to leave for his office, at which point I return to the kitchen and begin to pull out the baking ingredients Masaomi and I bought yesterday. I mix the cake batter first and pour the layers into individual pans while the oven heats up. From the window I can see Kaname reading under the large oak tree in the garden, and notice with a sigh of exasperation that Juli is intentionally dropping acorns on him.

"Juli," I sigh to myself, "why do insist on being such a pest to them?"

"A pest? Surely you aren't talking about me." A voice from behind me causes me to nearly drop my mixing bowl in surprise, and a deft hand reaches out to catch it. "Careful, little sister," the man behind me puts his lips close to my ear and says in a sing-song voice, "you would look far too tasty covered in cake batter!"

"You're bothering her, Tsubaki," Azusa enters the kitchen and swats his brother over the head with a nearby rubber spatula. I stare at the two of them. "We aren't back in the studio until tomorrow, so we came to help you," Azusa explains while keeping a reprimanding eye on his light-haired twin. The latter rolls his eyes and nods.

"Yes, what can we do? I'd be more than happy to escort you to the pantry and leave Azusa to do the baking," Tsubaki winks at me, earning another smack on the head. I laugh at the pair of them. It's incredible that two such polar opposites get along so well.

"Well, the strawberries still need to be washed and cut, and I have to make the icing," I list, and before I can say anything else the fruit is in the sink and Azusa is pulling powdered sugar down off the shelf for me.  
The twins work with a surprising synchronicity, Tsubaki washing each strawberry individually and checking it for bruises before passing it over to Azusa to be sliced into thin slivers. The work is complete much sooner than I expect and then there's nothing left to do but wait for the cake layers to finish baking. Tsubaki dips his finger into the icing and takes a lick.

"You put lemon in this!" He proclaims happily. "Subaru loves lemon. Who told you?" I shrug at him.

"I didn't know," I admit, popping a strawberry into my mouth. "I just thought it would taste good."

"A woman's intuition," he marvels with a glance at his twin. "It's excellent." He takes another swipe of the icing and presses the tip of his finger to my mouth. "But you should judge for yourself. You're the chef, after all." I look up at him. I'm not sure what he's expecting me to do. "Don't be shy," he tells me, violet-blue eyes gleaming mischievously as he swipes the icing against my lip. "I taste just as good as cake."

"Tsuba-nii..." Azusa warns. I lick the icing off my lower lip as Tsubaki turns toward his brother.

"Oh, are you feeling left out?" His cradles Azusa's face theatrically with his free hand.

"Don't worry, I'll feed you too." So saying, he swipes a thick streak of icing toward Azusa's mouth and the two struggle for a moment. When Tsubaki pulls away he has a triumphant grin on his face and Azusa is smudged with what looks like a sugary white mustache. I burst out laughing at the sight of his resigned, exasperated expression.

"No, no, stay still. My work is not yet complete!" Tsubaki cries, pulling two fresh mint leaves from the bowl on the counter and sticking them to the icing."Voila!" Complete with his leafy green mustache, Azusa looks like some sort of tall, distinguished leprechaun and I collapse against the counter in fits of giggles. Azusa himself joins in, the mint leaves tilting upwards as he laughs and sticks a thin slice of strawberry to his brother's forehead. Their eyes meet and then they both turn to me, the same playful smile on their nearly identical faces.

"Your turn!" they say to me in one voice and I squeal and try to escape to the living room as they catch me and paint my face with the lemon icing. I trip on the corner of the counter and the three of us collapse onto the floor in a confectionary mess. Tsubaki lands across my legs and I fall against Azusa, protected from the hardwood floor by his chest. As we lie there in hysterical paralysis, struggling to catch our breath, I hear a startled voice from the door way.

"... Big Sis?" Wataru has his sleepover pack slung across one shoulder and is staring at the three of us with such a sincere look of concern that I double over again with howls of laughter. Masaomi's head appears around the door frame and he drops Wataru's sleeping bag with a cry of amusement. To him, this must look like a sequel to yesterday's shopping adventure and he pulls out this phone and snaps a picture of us as he chuckles.

"You should see yourselves," he tells us, striding into the room to help first Tsubaki and then myself back to our feet. I extend a hand to Azusa and help hoist him to his feet as well, and my legs nearly buckle again as I see that I've left a face-shaped icing imprint against his shirt. Wataru notices this too and pokes Azusa in the chest with a giggle.

"When did our family become so fun?" he gazes up at me with his big brown eyes as if I've just made his day. "It must be because of you!" I smile down at him and ruffle his hair affectionately.

"That's not true," I tell him. "I never had this much fun before I moved in."

"Then we must all just make a great team," Masaomi chimes in with a grin and throws a clean dishrag to Azusa, whose mustache is now halfway up his nose.

The oven dings and I hurry back into the kitchen to pull the cake pans out onto the cooling rack.

* * *

Tsubaki, Azusa and I part ways to change and wash off and I run to take a quick shower before icing the cake and putting together all the finishing touches.  
Louis finds me as I finish setting up the candles and I gratefully accept his offer to arrange my hair for the party.  
I sit in a chair in the middle of the living room and let my eyes close as he brushes and blow dries my hair for me. He has skilled fingers and it feels so relaxing to have someone run their hands over my head. I'm so calm and comfortable by the time he's finished that I nearly fall asleep sitting up.

"I'll be right back with the curling iron," he tells me softly and I nod and watch him gracefully climb the stairs before closing my eyes again and leaning back.

"Hey." A voice from the hallway distracts me and I open my eyes to see Fuuto looking at me impatiently. "Have you seen Louis?" His hair is still clipped back and he looks even more irritable than the first time I saw him.

"He said he'll be right back," I tell Fuuto. He lets out an annoyed sigh and leans against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Of all the times, he has to go missing when I need to schedule him for a photo shoot. Not that it's any of your business." He glances sidelong at me and his expression suddenly changes.

"Hey... you changed your hairstyle, right?" He asks me, moving closer to inspect Louis's work. His eyes flit across my face and hair.

"Forgive me for not seeing it before," he says softly as he approaches me. "You really are stunningly beautiful."

I freeze as he reaches me and tilts my chin so I'm looking up at him. I've never seen him look so serious. His eyes shine nearly green in the light from the open window and his full lips form a sort of soft pout as he says my name quietly.

"Ema... do you think, just for a little while," he's so close to me now that he's practically kneeling against my chair and I feel my face blushing uncomfortably at his proximity. "... that you could pretend we aren't siblings? I feel so..." his face comes closer, nearly level with mine, "_so_... attracted to you."

His thumb brushes my lower lip and although I can feel my heart hammering wildly I can't make my body move. His lips are mere inches away from mine and his hand slides down my neck to pull me closer. I shiver. I'm completely useless, unable to do anything but stare at him in shock as his eyes close and his nose brushes mine. His fingers massage a light pattern against the back of my neck and I can feel him breathe in as his lips skim my cheek. Then he lets out a laugh, so close that his breath tickles my skin.

"Juuuust kidding." He pulls away and regards me with a look of haughty disdain, laughing harder as he sees my expression.

"Idiot," he tells me, "you aren't a princess just by changing your hairstyle. I can't believe you fell for that." I hear footsteps on the stairs and we both look up to see Louis round the bend in the hallway.

"Well, see you at the party, my pretty older sister," Fuuto whispers to me and saunters off.

I stare at the back of his head as he disappears from view and I find that even with the soothing feel of Louis's fingers as he puts the final touches on my hair and applies a light touch of eyeshadow to my lids, I can't relax.


	10. Part 9

**Birthday chapter up! I hope the spacing and dialogue in this chapter is a little less cramped and easier to read... I've gone back over the previous chapters and tried to space them out a bit better as well! Also, yes Iori will be getting more of a spotlight in this story than he does in the anime... but brace yourselves; if you've read any of the light novel summaries you'll know his story is fairly dark. This isn't a dark chapter, however. Enjoy! **

I stand in the kitchen with Ukyo and the twins later in the evening, surrounded by my new brothers. Tsubaki keeps reaching over to bounce the ringlets Louis has shaped into my hair and Azusa swats his hand away for what feels like the twentieth time.

I'm a little self-conscious with all the attention focused on the cake I've made and the makeover Louis has given me. It doesn't help matters that Fuuto gives me a teasing look while commenting that I look like a princess, and then gives me a subtle wink when no one is watching. Just the thought of my last exchange with him makes my cheeks flush.

"Oh, Fuuto-nii's right!" Wataru claims excitedly. "A princess who bakes cakes! It looks so good! I can't wait to eat it!" He's hopping up and down on the lower rungs of a kitchen stool, nearly tipping it in his excitement. Masaomi places a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Wataru, Ema made this cake for Subaru's birthday," he reminds his youngest brother. "You're acting like it's for you. Let Subaru be excited for his own cake." Wataru's cheeks turn pink under his fringe of sandy hair as he runs over to the couch where Subaru is seated.

"Sorry, Subaru-nii," Wataru mumbles, and Subaru ruffles his hair. It's the first time I've seen him smile today, but as soon as his eyes meet mine the smile slips off his face again and he looks away. I wonder if everything is okay. Surely he isn't still feeling bad about our collision in the dark? But I can't ask him here while we're surrounded by family members who would never let us live it down. And a party isn't the place, anyway.  
Kaname seems to notice my expression because he moves to stand next to me.

"Don't worry about Subaru. I'm sure he's okay. Perhaps he's simply stricken, as I am, by your beauty this evening," he slips an arm around my shoulders and pulls me affectionately against the expanse of broad chest under his half-open shirt. I allow myself an amused smile against the fabric. I'm getting used to his overly-familiar sense of humor now and it doesn't bother me as much, but I hear Juli hiss at him from the mezzanine railing where he's sworn to keep watch tonight.

"You're irritating her, big brother," I hear a soft voice from behind us. Kaname releases me and turns to the newcomer. Iori has just arrived from an open lecture in the city, still wearing the dark blue jacket he left in. At that moment Tsubaki waves Kaname over from the living room, where he's brandishing a large bottle of some kind of amber liquor.

"My apologies, my beautiful sister," Kaname brushes a light hand through my curls once and then goes to join the twins. The way he addresses me suddenly reminds me of Fuuto and I feel my face go pink again. I look up at Iori, who's regarding me with placid topaz eyes.

"This is for you," he holds out his hand, offering me a single purple flower. "It's an iris. It means 'my compliments', both to you and the cake you made for our brother's birthday." I manage to gasp out a thank-you at the unexpected gift and he gives me a gentle smile.

"I'm in charge of the courtyard," he explains. "I plant and look after the flowers." I haven't had much contact with Iori since moving in and had pegged him as aloof and reserved. I'm surprised by his thoughtfulness.

"The garden always looks so beautiful!" I tell him happily. "I'm not sure I even know what half of the flowers are, but I love looking at them from my room." He looks taken aback but pleased by my compliment.

"Any time you want to come see them, I'd be happy to teach you their names and meanings." he offers, and I nod enthusiastically at the chance to spend some time getting to know him.  
"Here -"  
He reaches over and helps me put the iris in my hair, securing it with my hair clip.

"It looks good on you," he brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes and studies me for a second. I blush slightly, self-conscious again under his scrutiny. "May I ask why you changed your hairstyle tonight? Not that it isn't beautiful... but you were beautiful before. The way you look now... you remind me of someone." I'm surprised to see a sudden look of sadness cross his handsome features. "Did you change it for Subaru?" I feel my cheeks turn an even deeper pink at the question.

"No, no, it wasn't for Subaru!" I hurry to correct him. "Louis arranged it for me. 'It's a party,' he said. I just let him arrange it how he felt looked best." Something in Iori's expression seems to relax and he smiles and touches the bottom of my hair, causing the curls to spring slightly. I'm intrigued by this mercurial brother. I open my mouth to ask him how he knows so much about gardening, but a shout from the dining room interrupts me.

"Time to blow out the candles!" Wataru's voice cries, and suddenly we're all pitched into darkness as he hits the lights. Iori's hand finds mine and we make our way back to the dining room, where the table is illuminated by the cake's twenty lit candles.

"Are we really doing this?' Subaru asks in a voice that suggests he's too old to be making wishes on cakes. He looks around at his brothers, but they all shout "Of course!" in a collective voice and a grin breaks across my face at the whole scenario. Subaru sucks in a deep breath and our eyes meet over the table top, the teal of his irises reflecting in the firelight. For a second I see an emotion I can't pinpoint cross his face, and then his eyes close and the room is engulfed in total darkness as he blows out the candles. There's a smattering of applause, a whoop which I think must come from Tsubaki, and then the lights come back on just in time for Ukyo to catch Wataru's fingers before they sink straight into the icing.

* * *

The cake is sliced up and the plates are passed around, Wataru claims the corner piece and everyone tucks in. Even Yusuke, who spends a minute staring at his slice morosely grabs his fork and takes a bite when Tsubaki threatens to eat his piece for him.

"Big Sister's cake is the best in the whole world!" Wataru exclaims around a mouthful of iced strawberry and I duck my head abashedly at the praise as my new brothers nod their heads in agreement.

"Azusa and Tsubaki helped me," I say, hoping to alleviate the attention. Kaname rolls his eyes with a grin.

"Great," he jokes, "we've all just been poisoned." Azusa swats him playfully with a napkin and I find Subaru looking at me from two seats down with a bemused expression.

"Hey, hey, what did you wish for Subaru?" Tsubaki calls from the other end of the table. Subaru rolls his eyes at his older brother and says nothing, but his cheeks turn a faint pink. "I bet I know what it was," the platinum-haired twin sings playfully. "I bet you wished for a birthday kiss from our beautiful new sister!" Subaru's face is a delicate shade of crimson now and he nearly chokes on his drink. I reach over and throw my own napkin in Tsubaki's face, hoping he'll stop teasing his brother long enough to enjoy the birthday party. He catches my napkin with a laugh that's abruptly interrupted as Masaomi jams a lollipop into the jokester's mouth.

* * *

An hour or so passes before I notice that Wataru is drifting off to sleep face-first in his third slice of cake. I check the clock on the stair landing and am surprised to see it's already half past eleven. I squeeze out of my seat and kneel beside his chair.

"Bedtime, sleepyhead?" I ask him with a light tug on his sweater. He opens drowsy eyes at me and a small, strawberry-daubed smile spreads across his face.

"I'll take him upstairs," offers Yusuke, who's by my side before I know it. Wataru shakes his head and I see the fringe of his sandy hair dip into the cake icing above his right ear.

"I want Big Sis to take me to bed," he insists. Yusuke looks a little put out for a moment and I'm pleasantly relieved when Wataru grabs his hand as says, "But you can help too."

He allows me to give him a piggy-back ride up the stairs and Yusuke leads the way. We stop by the bathroom so I can wipe the cake off the now half-asleep Wataru's face with a warm washcloth and when I turn around to hoist him onto my back again, Yusuke is looking at me with a small, peculiar smile.

"What?" I ask him, shifting my weight to make sure Wataru is secure. I follow him out of the bathroom and back down the hallway.

"I just think you'll be a great mother some day, watching the way you are with him," Yusuke says to me. I smile at him warmly, touched by the compliment, and his ears go red. I grin at the back of his head as he opens Wataru's door for us. I'm so lucky to have such sweet brothers.

Wataru's room is all different shades of blue, with a pattern of glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. I scoot an oversized blue rabbit plushie to the side to make room for the sleeping ten year-old and Yusuke pulls the covers over both boy and bunny. The walls are covered with picture frames of his brothers - Kaname holding up a large fish by a lake, Ukyo in a cap and diploma in hand, Wataru himself hanging trapeze-style in the twins' outstretched arms, the pictures go on and on. I feel a little tug of envy for the lives of these brothers who can adorn their walls with more family memories than I even have... but I push the feeling aside. Not more than a week has passed and I'm already making memories.

Yusuke and I sit in silence next to Wataru's bed for several minutes, making sure he's comfortable and asleep. I get to my feet and head back into the hallway. And then,

"Look, Ema..." Yusuke says softly. "About what I said when you first moved in." His dark brown eyes find mine and he catches my arm gently as I turn to look at him. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I was just angry at my brothers for ambushing me like that. It really is nice sharing a house with you." He gives me a searching look and with a forwardness that surprises me, I fling my arms around his neck and hug him. I feel him freeze for a second and wonder if I've gone too far, but then his arms wrap around me and he's holding me tight. Until he said it, I hadn't realized how much the memory of our previous interaction had been weighing on me. With my head tucked against his shoulder, I feel like things are finally resolved between us.

"Thank you, " I whisper against his shoulder. He smells nice, with just a mild hint of cologne merging with the freshly laundered scent of his clothing. I tell him as much and he laughs, running a hand through my hair in response. I don't know how long we stand like that, but when I step away the ever-present blush on his cheeks has subsided slightly and he looks happier than I've seen him in days. I guess it was weighing on him too after all.

I walk with Yusuke back to his room and he pulls me into an embrace again briefly before we part ways. He heads to bed and I find my way back toward the kitchen with a smile on my face.

When I reach the mezzanine landing, I find Juli curled up on a sofa cushion and wake him gently. I stroke the fur between his ears and peek over the railing at the sound of raucous voices below us. The twins, Kaname, and a few of the others have started a drinking game and there are shot glasses strewn across the table. There's a murmur, a pause, and I then hear Tsubaki let out a laugh and say,

"Okay, that's true. One shot to me. Your turn Subaru!" The latter takes a long drink and then turns to his older brother.

"Ask away," he tells him, two spots of pink high on his cheeks. They're all obviously at varying stages of drunk and tipsy and I find myself smiling and wondering if I shouldn't go get my camera and sneak a family photo of them all together like this. I set Juli on my shoulder and turn to do just that when the sound of my name halts me in my tracks. I look back over the railing curiously, wondering if someone saw me and called out to me.

"Take a shot if it's true - You have feelings for Ema." The easy smile slips off Subaru's face faster than soap off a greased skate ramp.

"No," he says flatly, glaring around in response.

"Oh, come on. You can admit it. The way her eyes light up, the way she plays with the ends of her hair when she's nervous. Or how about the way she bites her lip when she's trying not to laugh. No? Not even the way she smiles or how she goes out of her way to check that we're happy? She even dressed up for your party. You can't deny it, little brother. You _like_ her, don't you." I don't know what I'm more surprised by, the fact that Tsubaki has picked up on all these little things about me, or the fact that he's trying to put words in Subaru's mouth.

"I'm telling you, that's not it," Subaru says angrily, raising his voice to drown out his brother's teasing.

"Oh?" Tsubaki asks. "If it's none of those things, did something else happen between you? The way you look at her, it's obvious..."

"To be honest, having her here is annoying!" Subaru bursts out, which for once silences Tsubaki. And it also silences me. Everything in my body goes still with shock as he says the words. Even Juli freezes on my shoulder. "I don't like having a girl in the house. I have to pay attention when I take a shower, I can't train topless indoors, I always have to watch my mouth unless a joke I make offends her. It was easier before she got here." In the living room below, Subaru leaps to his feet, drenched with the drink Tsubaki just tipped over. "I'm going to go change," he storms away from his brothers, back up the stairs... the stairs where I'm still standing petrified.

Subaru's eyes lock with mine and a look of abject confusion crosses his features. And then his face falls again as he realizes what I just overheard.

"Ema -" I hear him say, but his arrival finally gets me moving again. I run back down the hallway and don't stop running until I'm in my room with the door locked. I slide down the door and land on the carpet, still dazed but starting to make sense of the situation enough to know that what Subaru said hurts. A lot. Juli jumps down from my shoulder and perches on my knee.

"Chi!" he cries, "Are you alright?"

"I'm - I'll be fine," I reassure him haltingly, still trying to put together all the pieces. The other night it seemed like we'd gotten so close. Had I really misread things that much? Had he been angry at me, even then? I can't seem to mesh the Subaru in my mind with the Subaru whose words I overheard tonight.

"You're not fine!" my tiny companion rages. "I'm going to kill that wolf for making my Chi cry!" The thought of Juli being able to do anything more than give Subaru a few scratches on his six-foot frame almost makes me smile... almost.

"I'm not crying," I tell Juli, which is true. My eyes are dry. It's just my chest that feels like it's collapsing.

"You're crying on the inside," Juli insists, now pacing back and forth across my legs. "I know! I've seen you do it for years." He looks up at me with his big squirrel eyes and for a second I almost break down and cry real tears. A knock causes us both to jump and I stand up and open the door a crack, stepping back in surprise as I see who it is.

"... Subaru?" My voice sounds smaller and weaker than I'd like it to. "What are you -"

"Ema," he interrupts, clearly unsteady on his feet still. The look in his eyes is one of anguished concern and he reaches for me as if I'm about to shatter and go flying in a million directions. "I didn't mean it. Any of what I said before." He stumbles a little on his own feet and I have to reach out and grab his arm so he doesn't bump headlong into the door frame.

"It's okay," I try to assure him, "It doesn't matter." But he shakes his head and waves away my words, his own hands moving to hold mine.

"It does matter. Tsubaki just got me so angry, I felt backed into a corner. I shouldn't have said what I did. You aren't annoying..." he looks at me evenly for the first time all night and gently tilts my chin up, cupping his hand against my cheek.

"You could never be annoying," he tells me softly. "You're beautiful and sweet, and you've made life here better for everyone. I'm so sorry." I meet his eyes, surprised by the intensity in the look he's giving me.

"If it makes it easier," I tell him, "I can try to just be one of the guys. I really don't get offended easily. You don't have to worry about what jokes you make in front of me. And it won't bother me if you train with your shirt off." But he's shaking his head at me.

"You deserve to be treated like a woman, not like one of the guys... but," he looks down at me sheepishly. "I really would like to train the way I used to. Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" I smile up at him, surprised that this is what he's worried about the most.

"I've already seen you topless twice," I tell him. "I'm sure I can get used to it." He blushes at this, but looks relieved.

"I came here to make you feel better, and for the second time you're the one who's cheered me up. Tell me how I can return the favor." He's staring at me so earnestly with those brilliant teal eyes that my mind nearly goes blank. I flounder around for something, because it's clear he won't feel better about this until he does something to fix what he's said.

"Just give me a hug and call it even," I finally tell him and a small smile graces his lips as he steps forward without hesitation and wraps his arms around me. I hug him back, my head pillowed on his chest, and breathe in the scent of his aftershave and the Jack and coke Tsubaki spilled on him. In his arms, I realize for the first time tonight how completely exhausted I am. Subaru's right hand trails its way up and down my back in calming motions while he holds me close and I feel him rest his chin on the top of my head. I feel like I could fall asleep standing up and I let out a sigh and allow my eyes close of their own accord.

I genuinely am drifting off when he steps back. I look up at him sleepily and he leans forward and presses his lips against my cheek. I blush at the sudden closeness and before I know it the whole world is tilting as Subaru trips over the door frame and we both fall to the floor. I reach out on instinct to grab hold of something and my hand catches the duvet from my bed. It doesn't slow our fall and I land on my back with Subaru on top of me. From the muffled squeaks it sounds like Juli has gotten trapped under the fallen duvet, but from my position on the floor I can't reach over to free him.

On top of me, Subaru braces himself on his forearms to take the extra weight off my chest. His body is pressed warm against mine, pinning me to the floor and for a moment I consider making a joke about how we always end up in collision. He looks dazed and I reach up and touch his face to make sure he's alright.

"Subaru, are you oka-" I'm interrupted as Subaru leans down and gently captures my lips with his, sending a shock all the way down to my toes. For a moment I don't understand what's happening. His mouth is warm against mine, his lips soft, and my heart feels like it's beating at the speed of sound. I can taste the last drink he had, and the spearmint from the cake garnish. I shiver as he slides a hand underneath my head and trails a slow line of kisses from my mouth down to the crook of my neck. His lips come to rest against my collarbone and he sighs against my skin. The feeling sends tingles down my spine, which intensify as he murmurs something unintelligible, his lips brushing my throat. Then his breathing slows and deepens... and he's asleep.

I don't know how long I lie there with his weight on top of me, hardly remembering how to breathe in my surprise. Eventually, however, I hear voices coming down the hallway and Azusa and Tsubaki peer curiously around the door frame, obviously surprised to see someone's feet sticking out into the hallway. Azusa looks shocked and Tsubaki grabs Subaru by the back of his jacket and drags him off me.

"He's already asleep... did he hit on you or something?" Tsubaki asks, sizing up his younger brother's sleeping form.

"No!" I hurry to explain. "He didn't mean to land on top of me... he tripped. It was an accident. Then he just sort of passed out." I'm not ready to say anything about the kiss, especially to Tsubaki who teases his brothers for sport.

"I see," Azusa takes a hold of Subaru's arm and together the twins haul him upright. "Well, don't worry. Even if it was an accident, we'll make sure he gets payback for it. Have a good night, little sister." With a wink, Tsubaki and Azusa disappear down the hallway again and I close my door and focus on extricating Juli from the tangled duvet.

"What happened? What happened? What did I miss?" My little squirrel scampers up the leg of my bed and looks around warily as if waiting for one of the brothers to jump out of the shadows.

"Subaru was drunk. He fell on me by accident," I explain, grateful that Juli's vision had been obscured by the blankets. As it is, I have to spend several minutes trying to calm the little fur ball down. I don't dare tell him about the kiss - my _first_ kiss. But as I turn off the lights and climb into bed, turning over tonight's events in my head, it's my own nerves I can't seem to soothe.

**See that little box down below where you can type and submit a review? Please please please do so! Your feedback is what gives me the drive to continue the story! Thank you :)**


	11. Part 10

**I woke up in the wee hours of the morning with this scenario on the tips of my fingers and this song stuck in my head: (Am I allowed to link songs? I don't think so, so if you want to hear it just type " 赤いスイートピー KENN " into the search bar on YT. It was the song that stayed in my head on a loop through these scenes.)  
**

** This chapter is a big dive away from canon, and so I almost didn't end up posting it... it won't affect the pairings or plot of the story. But I'll keep it here if I get reviews asking for me to leave it up so please be sure to comment! **

I don't know how many hours pass as I lie awake, long after Juli's squeaks have quieted into soft snores, long after the night air has turned cool and begun to breeze in through my open window. I stare upwards in the darkness, body calm and mind in a frenzy, living over and over again every nuance I can remember of Subaru's frame pressing me against the carpet. My fingers go to my lips for the hundredth time, down my neck where his mouth left a trail of heat in its wake. Why? I can't make sense of any of it, nor of the words he spoke against my skin. Did he think, as drunk as he was, that I was someone else? I think of the way he looked at me as he apologized, the way his parted lips caught mine mid-sentence as I asked if he was okay. In the dark, my body recreates the feeling from memory and I find myself shiver involuntarily. What happened? With his arms braced on either side of me, chest to chest and legs to longer legs, was he aware it was me beneath him? Had I kissed him back? I don't know. All I know is that my mind won't stay still long enough for me to fall asleep tonight.

Taking care not to shift the mattress and wake Juli, I slide out of bed and slip out the door into the hallway. The bedroom door closes behind me with a barely audible click and I'm alone in the moonlit passage. I don't need the lights or a map to find the kitchen this time. Once there I reach down a glass from the cabinet and fill it with cold water, not bothering to turn on the runner lights. I don't need them to remind me of the last time I was here this late at night. I lean against the cool metal of the refrigerator with a sigh and take a sip from my water glass, mind still swimming with confusion. Outside, the oak tree's leaves are blowing in the late summer air, casting patterns of shadow across the ground. And at the base of the trunk I can just make out the tall, limber figure of a man, his head hung as if staring at the grass between his feet.

I know that barely-visible dark hair between the tree's branches. I know that silhouette... by now I'd imagine nearly every inch of my body knows it, having had it pressed against me twice now. But why is Subaru outside at this time of night? Honestly, I'm surprised to see him standing at all after drinking so much earlier in the evening.

I debate heading back to my room, resuming my tossing and turning and leaving him to his own reverie... but he at least owes me an explanation, right? And I don't want to spend the rest of my night in sleepless confusion, wondering over his intentions.

Leaving my glass on the counter, I head back to the stairs and find my way to the elevator. I have to close my eyes at the brightness as the doors open and I press the button for the ground floor with butterflies in my stomach.

The lobby is dimly lit and I pick my way barefoot to the double doors, propping them open with a convenient doorstop. The path to the garden is rough beneath my feet, but the grass feels cool and pleasant as I walk toward the tree in the center.

Up until now I've been moving on autopilot, but I can feel my heartbeat speed up as I approach Subaru. I'm suddenly self-conscious in my pajamas, my hair untidy and slowly falling out of the curls Louis so carefully prepared for the party. But I'm already out here... there's not much point in heading back to bed now.

"... Subaru?" I ask quietly, taking a tentative step toward him. He doesn't look at me. I suppose we really embarrassed ourselves tonight after all... Does he want me to go? I bite my lip, torn between my burning questions and the fact that he hasn't even acknowledged my presence. And then I notice he's wrapped in what looks like bands of cloth. Curiosity getting the better of me, I walk up to him. And then I realize.

Tsubaki and Azusa have made good on their promise - Subaru is tied to the trunk of the oak and in the moonlight I can just make out the bold black letters scrawled across his forehead:  
**P**-**E**-**R**-**V**.

Though I know they meant well in their own mischievous way, I can't help but feel anger course through me at the sight of Subaru's still-unconscious frame tied so helplessly to the tree. I almost turn back to the lobby doors with the intention of getting a knife or some scissors from the kitchen to cut the ropes, but the thought of Subaru waking up alone out here in the dark halts me. I can't leave him.

I reach up and tug hard at the knot above his shoulder, working my fingers between the twists of rope. His head brushes against my arm as I struggle with the tangle.

"Mmh..." He sighs and I feel his free arm slide around my waist. His head comes to rest against my neck as he pulls me closer and I freeze in surprise, my hands still clutching the rope. His breath blows warm across my skin and I feel chill bumps break out on my arms despite the balmy night air.

"Subaru..." A soft snore is my only response. He's still asleep? The arm around me relaxes its grip, his hand catching on the pocket of my baggy sweatpants. I can't move like this.

"Subaru," I tap his cheek gently, my own cheeks heating up at our proximity. He stirs slightly, his head lolling against my shoulder. "_Subaru_," I try again, unsure why I'm whispering. "Wake up!" I jostle him gently and his head lifts lethargically.

"Ema." It isn't a question. He seems completely unsurprised. "I don't want to wake up yet... you'll go away. Don't..." His head drops back onto my shoulder and I feel his hand slide into my pocket, the flat of his palm against my thigh. I blush furiously. I didn't realize he'd be so completely out of it. He thinks he's dreaming me?

"Subaru. You're not dreaming," I tell him in as calm a tone as I can muster. "Come on. Wake up." I shake his shoulder and his eyes finally open and stare at me blearily.

"What are you doing in my room?" He slurs, sounding confused. He obviously hasn't sobered up at all.

"We aren't in your room," I explain. "Your brothers thought it would be funny to tie you to a tree for your birthday." A little crease furrows his brows.

"Nice of them to tie me to you, I guess," he grins at me, eyes already half closing as he begins losing consciousness again and I have to shake his shoulder a third time to get him to look up at me.

"I need your help untying this," I tell him, guiding his hand out of my pocket and up to the knot. I shiver again as his fingertips brush my side on the way. He isn't awake enough to be much help, lacing his fingers with mine and leaning his head against the tree sleepily. It takes several minutes for me to loosen the knot enough to free him, in which time Subaru's breathing has slowed and his eyes have closed again. In the dark, his face catches the moonlight, the shadows highlighting his lashes, nose and the soft lips I can't get off my mind. I wrap my arms around the sides of the tree to unwind the rope and as I free him his other hand encircles me and pulls me against his chest.

"Are you really asleep again?" I ask him, both reluctant to pull away and also worried about how I'm going to manage to get him back upstairs.

"M-mm." He shakes his head from his position against the tree, little pieces of bark sprinkling the top of his hair. I reach up to dust him off and he tilts his face down toward me. "Would you rather I fell asleep?" he asks me. A smile tugs at my lips at the sight of him with his guard down so uncharacteristically. Despite having been tied outside for the night, he looks so relaxed.

"No, you big lug," I laugh softly. "I want you to try to walk with me so we can get you to a proper bed."

With our arms wrapped around each other, my left around his waist and his right across my shoulder, I manage to half guide and half support him through the doors of the lobby and back to the elevator. I have to catch him with both hands a couple of times as he trips and nearly falls forward. I struggle with his much taller frame, but somehow I manage to help him down the hall to the nearest bathroom. Carefully, I help him lean against the counter by the sink and run a washcloth under the warm water. With a little bit of soap I manage to remove most of the ink from his forehead. I think he's fallen asleep again.

For a moment, the juxtaposition between Subaru with his pen-marks and Wataru with his dessert-smeared face makes me laugh. These brothers are such a handful... but after everything that's happened, can I really just look at Subaru as a brother? I shake my head to clear it. It's a question for a calmer time, not a sleepless or drunken night like this one.

Back out in the hallway, I realize I don't actually know which door is his. I don't really trust his judgement at the moment, so I do the best I can and lead him to the couch just down the hallway from my own room. He seems happy enough to finally lie down, and I slip back to my room. Juli is still curled up on my pillow peacefully and I quietly pick the duvet up off my bed and creep back to the hallway with it.

I'm surprised to find that Subaru's eyes are still open when I return to the couch. He watches me with a half-lidded gaze as I approach him and spread the duvet across his legs.

"Thank you," he murmurs, eyes closing fully again. I tilt my head at him with a smile. There's nothing left for me to do for him, so I turn and head back to my room.

Before I can get more than three steps a hand catches my wrist and I turn to see those teal eyes looking up at me, not quite focused but still trained on my face. His lips move and his voice is so quiet that I nearly miss his words.

"Stay with me."

I can't say what it is that sways my decision, but I kneel by the couch and let him lace his fingers with mine. I rest my chin on the low armrest as his eyes drift closed. The minutes pass and I feel the exhaustion of the day finally catch up with me, too. I brush his short, dark hair off his forehead and trace my way down the curve of his jaw.

"Why did you kiss me?" I whisper. But this time he's really asleep and there's no reply.

**Be a doll and review? Thanks for reading!**


	12. Part 11

**Sorry for the long wait time! I am still writing, I promise! My schedule has gone completely bonkers and I've retreated into granny-mode and started tucking myself in bed at 8 at night to cope with the craziness. This chapter is a tad shorter than some of its predecessors but I felt like it had to be included separately because the topic just got dropped with all its loose ends for several months in the anime and Ema never really reflected on it. Plus, there's more Iori here for those of you who requested him! I'm actually really looking forward to posting the next chapter because the parts with Iori came out so easily. Until I did a little background research, I didn't realize how many subtle hints there are in the novels... or at least the summaries I've read :P It's a lot of fun finding out more. No spoilers though, so just check back and it'll be up soon!  
**

I wake up to the sunrise, my head still pillowed against the armrest of the sofa. My limbs feel heavy and I don't want to get up just yet.

"..Subaru?" I peek through my lashes in his direction, wondering if he's already awake. But he's gone. I raise my head and look around, noticing with a pang of warm surprise that the duvet is carefully tucked around me. Subaru must have put it over me when he got up. I smile to myself and pull it closer. I can still smell the faint trace of his aftershave and last night's memories come flooding back.

I sneak back into my room and silently deposit the duvet on the bed, hoping that Juli won't pick up Subaru's scent when he wakes up. I know he only means well, but I have a feeling he'll overreact if he finds out what happened and the last thing Subaru needs is to be attacked by an angry squirrel first thing in the morning.

* * *

After showering, I feel much more awake. I make a fruit salad for breakfast using the leftover strawberries and my eyes slide to the window of their own volition. In the sunlight, it's hard to imagine that Subaru was tied to the oak tree only a handful of hours ago, and even harder to imagine that he was saying my name in his sleep and holding me against him. It could almost be a dream, except for the white ropes still laced haphazardly around the trunk. I touch my lips with the tips of my fingers again, wondering for the millionth time what happened last night.

"You're up early." A voice behind me causes me to jump and scatter berries across the counter. To my surprise, it's Iori who quickly catches a handful of the fruit before it rolls onto the floor.

"So are you," I tell him. He offers me a smile and a shrug.

"I went to sleep rather earlier than the rest of you." He's still dressed in his pajamas - a grey t-shirt and a pair of loose dark blue pants. I'm used to seeing him look so put-together all the time, but even in the mornings his hair falls perfectly across his forehead.

"I was going to go out and do a bit of weeding this morning since the weather is so nice... would you like to come with me? I won't make you do the actual work, of course," he tilts his head at me but my eyes are already glazing over at the prospect of being useful.

"I'd love to help out in any way I can," I tell him enthusiastically. I'm already half out of my apron when he catches my hand with a soft laugh. His touch is feather-light and so brief I almost wonder if his hand brushed mine at all.

"Let me help you here first," he insists. "I'm so rarely awake when breakfast is being prepared." He deftly gathers and re-washes the mixed fruit while I watch in silence. I notice he moves with a kind of silent grace. It's no wonder I didn't hear him enter the kitchen.

We load up two plates of fruit and I pour tea for the two of us as we sit at the counter to eat. Breakfast is silent except for the occasional light clink as a fork hits the plate. Eventually, I sneak a look at him over the top of my teacup and see a thin silver necklace glinting around his neck in the sunlight. But more intriguing is the light, barely-noticeable scar against the side of his neck. It follows the pattern of the chain almost exactly and I almost ask him about it... but then his eyes meet mine and I recognize that same wistfully sad look from yesterday evening. With him looking at me like that I don't have the audacity to pry and I simply offer him a smile, which seems to lighten his mood a bit.

We leave the bowl of fruit and a tray of vanilla biscuits in the fridge for the others and I agree to meet Iori in the garden as soon as he changes into clothing more appropriate for the outdoors.

* * *

Outside, the breeze is warm and the sun is shining. I take my shoes off and let my toes settle into the grass as I watch the leaves rustle. The sound of footfalls and heavy breathing distracts me and I catch sight of Subaru rounding the corner, topless and covered in a sheen of sweat. He slows when he catches sight of me and after a moment of hesitation I walk up to meet him on the pavement.

"Not even a hangover stops you for long, huh?" I smile up at him. His face is red, although whether it's from my compliment or from his morning run I can't tell. He wipes the sweat off his brow with one toned forearm and I can just barely see the outline of the letters Tsubaki and Azusa scrawled across his forehead the night before.

"I haven't missed a workout in years. But today was hard," he admits sheepishly between heavy breaths. "About last night... can we talk?"

"Of course." I nod and we both make our way down the circular path. His stride is longer than mine and I watch the muscles shift in his back as he paces in front of me.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know my words hurt you last night, and... and I'm not very good at this." He finishes lamely. He looks so flustered that I want to hug him and tell him to just stop trying to apologize. But with everything that happened between us I decide against the idea and stay silent as I watch him flounder for words.

"I don't remember everything from last night," he tells me. He looks around the garden for a moment, avoiding my gaze, and I see his eyes catch on the sight of the ropes around the tree. "But I remember enough." This time he's definitely blushing and I feel my own face heat up in response. "I.. um. I fell on you, and..." a small frown tugs at the corners of his lips... the same lips that trailed tingles down my neck last night and took my first kiss. But he couldn't know that last part, surely. He'd probably feel even worse if he knew. I hope he doesn't find out.

"And you helped untie me from the tree. That must not have been easy." I laugh at the memory and his eyes search my face nervously.

"For the rest of my life, I'm not sure I'll ever understand how I managed to get you back to that sofa," I tell him, doing my best to alleviate the tension written all over his features. He cracks an apologetic smile at this, but it's quickly replaced by a serious expression as he continues.

"You took care of me last night, more than I had any right to ask you for. If you ever need anything at all, tell me. I'll do my best to take care of you." There's a strange intensity in his eyes and I find myself realizing just how honorable Subaru really is as he stares at me evenly. Then his cheeks color and he drops his gaze again.

"About the other things that happened..." I thought he looked uncomfortable before, but he seems to flounder around for several long moments before just staring at me forlornly. I can't stand the sight of Subaru looking so lost, so I throw my arms around his shoulders, which is about as high as I can reach, and hug him. Clearly this isn't the reaction he was expecting because he stands stock still as if waiting for a meteor to strike.

"It's okay," I tell his shoulder. "I know it was just an accident. I figured that had to be it or you wouldn't have kissed me."

"An... accident." He still seems shell-shocked, but his hands find their way to the small of my back and he gives me a light squeeze.

"You had a lot to drink. You thought I was someone else, didn't you?" I raise my head to look up at him and his expression is almost comical. He looks so perplexed. Did I interpret it wrong? Maybe he doesn't remember any of it after all. His hands drop back to his sides and I step back to gauge the look on his face nervously.

"Ema, I..." Something from behind me catches his attention and I turn to see Iori striding up the path toward us. Subaru's face falls as his eyes meet mine again.

"... I did have a lot to drink. I must have thought you were someone else. I'm so sorry." I'm surprised to feel my stomach drop in... disappointment? That can't be it, surely. But he took my first kiss and... and he was thinking of someone else. Somehow that hurts, even though I turned it over and over in my mind last night. Even though I convinced myself that was what had happened, hearing him say the words leaves me feeling sore and empty somewhere deep inside. I bite my lip and stare at the ground for a second before I can will myself to look back up at his face.

"I thought that must be it. I understand," I can't let this complicate things between us any more than it already has. It wouldn't be fair of me to make him feel any worse. So I offer him as bright a smile as I can muster. His face still looks sad and guilty and something in the pit of my stomach twists uncomfortably as I watch him nod and walk away down the path without a second glance.

"Is everything alright?" I hear Iori's voice behind me on the path and push my thoughts to the back of my mind as I turn and smile at him.

"I was just teasing Subaru about running with a hangover," I tell him, a smile firmly plastered on my face. I don't want to make him worry, and what I say is partially true. Out of the corner of my eye I see Subaru resume his jog and disappear around the corner of the building.

**Poor Subaru... wonder what he would have said if he hadn't seen Iori approaching? :o**

**Please leave a review and thank you for reading! Next chapter won't have such a long wait time :)**


	13. Part 12

**This took longer to update than I thought it would, and for that I'm sorry! Here's the real Iori chapter for all you fans. I know it's not the longest, but quality over quantity, right? I hope it lives up to the wait! Truth is, I've landed myself in bed with some crazy flu and I'm all loopy and drowsy from my medicine so although I had originally planned this to be the first part of a different chapter, I think I'm going to just separate it into two or three chapters so it's still legible. Thanks so much to everyone for following, favoriting, reading and reviewing! You make my day, seriously! Back to bed for now... I'd love to wake up to some reviews ;P**

I sit in the sun with Iori, pulling out a few stray weeds from between the delicate stalks of various flowers. He seems both relieved and pleased that I don't mind getting my hands dirty, and a genuine wide smile lights his face when I stick my nose into a brightly-colored patch of valerian, only to recoil immediately from the smell. He explains to me that while it looks beautiful and has many healing properties, the flower's odor makes it unfit for bouquets. I'm actually having fun filling my head with the Latin names, properties and stories that go with the plants he cares for. It's taking my mind off Subaru, if only for a little while.

"Is there a story to go with these?" I ask, pointing to a cluster of brightly colored tulips in the flower bed he's tending. He brushes off his hands and leans back, regarding me for a moment. He has a small smear of dirt on the bridge of his nose and I'm enjoying this relaxed side of him far too much to point it out. So far, he's told me the stories without any prompting, but for some reason these are the exception.

"There is, actually," His voice is softer now, thoughtful, and I wonder what's on his mind. His hair has fallen over his eyes and in the sunlight I can't make out his expression.

"The story states that there was once a stone-cutter who fell in love with a beautiful princess and, in time, she with him. But she was the only child of a wealthy sultan, and the sultan refused to allow his daughter to marry a commoner. The stone-cutter was saddened by the news but determined to prove himself. Over time, the sultan could no longer bear to see his daughter pining away after a man, no matter how low in station, and devised a challenge. He decreed that if the stone-cutter could dig a forty-mile canal in the rocky land at the base of the mountains and fill it with water, he would allow the couple to marry. So the stone-cutter took his shovel and began digging. At night, the princess would sneak out of the palace and visit him, whisper her love for him and encourage him while he slept. And every morning before he woke up, she would slip back to her chambers so no one would find out.

He worked steadily as the year passed and the closer he got to completing the task, the more concerned the sultan became. Finally, the sultan met with his advisers. They urged him to send a messenger to the stone-cutter saying that his princess had fallen ill and died. This, they said, would surely cause him to give up his task and return home. And so a messenger was sent to deliver the false news. But upon hearing of the death of his beloved, the stone-cutter took the sharpened end of his spade and cut his own throat in order to join her.

When the princess learned of her father's deception, she ran to the canal where her lover lay and took the spade in her own hands. She ended her life alongside him and the story goes that the canal filled not with water, but with blood. And everywhere the liquid touched the land, crimson tulips grew. To this day, red tulips are the symbol of perfect love."

I sit silent, lulled by the even tone of Iori's voice and the sadness of the story. His eyes are **downcast,** frowning at the red flowers beneath his fingers.

"It's a beautiful story," I tell him as the silence stretches on. He nods.

"I'm glad you can see the beauty in it. Some people only see gore and tragedy." His eyes find mine, and they seemed to be filled with all the sadness of the stone-cutter and the princess combined. I'm surprised by this and reach out and cover his hand with mine in the dirt. He laces his fingers through mine and gives my hand a light squeeze. When I look back up at him his expression is placid and unreadable again, and he smiles at me as if his narration of the story is already miles away.

A look of concern suddenly crosses his face and he reaches up and lays his free hand against the back of my neck.

"You're sunburned," he says quietly. "Your skin is so fair... I should have thought to warn you to wear sunscreen. Come on." He helps me to my feet and deposits the weeds in a nearby compost bin, keeping hold of my earth-covered hand as we walk back indoors.

Back on the fifth floor, we rinse the dirt off our arms and he leads me to a couch in the living room and snaps a few leaves off a potted plant near the window.

"It's aloe vera," he explains, brushing my hair over my shoulder and showing me the clear gel at the end of the leaves. "It's great for soothing all kinds of burns. I keep it here near the kitchen in case of a stove top incident. Use some whenever you need it." He shows me how to extract the gel properly and his fingers rub cooling circles across the back of my neck as he spreads it over the fresh sunburn. I sigh and tilt my head forward and his hands slide down to my upper arms.

"Thank you for keeping me company today." He says from behind me. "I'm usually by myself out there. It's nice to have someone with me for a change."

"I really enjoyed it," I tell him, tilting my head to look at him over my shoulder. "How do you know so much about plants?" A small smile touches his lips as he looks down at me from the back of the couch.

"I knew someone once who dreamed of being a botanist. That's how I learned everything. I promised I'd continue to love and learn about plants. Sometimes I think it's what keeps me going." He slips around the side of the couch and takes a seat next to me, setting the crushed, spiny leaves on the coffee table. His eyes find mine and I'm struck once again by how unreadable he is.

"I really am sorry. You got sunburned out there because of me." He slips his fingers under the sleeve of my shirt, nudging it up to expose the contrast of red against my otherwise light skin. His expression seems sad again.

" It was worth it," I promise him. "And I loved your stories. Can I help you in the garden again some time?"

"Any time you feel like it, if you don't mind the work." The corners of his mouth lift into a bashful smile as we look at each other. The smudge of dirt is still there on the bridge of his nose. I shouldn't just let him walk around like that, should I? His eyes widen as I reach up and brush his hair out of his face, but he doesn't move away.

"You have some dirt on your nose," I explain quietly, almost afraid of scaring him off as I brush my fingers against his skin. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." His response is quiet and I can feel his breath on my wrist as I remove the last small spot of dirt. My face feels warm. Is it the sunburn, or ...am I blushing? I can't tell.

"Oi, Iori," A voice from the mezzanine causes me to drop my hand in surprise. Kaname is leaning over the railing. "I've got a project I need your help with at the temple. Come take a look with me?"

Iori gets smoothly to his feet, but I'm surprised to see a look of annoyance flash across his handsome features. And then it's gone so fast I almost think I've imagined it. He turns to me and squeezes my shoulder gently.

"I'll see you later, Ema." And then he follows Kaname up the stairs and out of view, leaving me alone in the living room.

**A/N: I'll be on a brief hiatus (a few more days) in order to spend time with distant relatives. Don't worry, I'm not intentionally ignoring the story! :)**


	14. Part 13

**I'm back! First off, I'd like to thank you for being so patient with my absence. I'm sorry I didn't give more of a warning! I had a wonderful time visiting family and it was very nice to have some time off work :) Second, I'm both giddy and humbled to come back and see so many reviews! I squealed like a squeaky toy and went bouncing around the room, seriously. Thank you so, SO much to everyone who took the time to read and comment, and I love that some of you went back and left reviews for every chapter *(^_^)* That made me so happy! To those of you who have been wondering when our glorious Natsume will be making an appearance, I'm still doing things in (mostly) chronological order according to the anime/novels/games and so he won't show up in the story until Miwa and Rintarou's wedding - patience! I'm being a total hypocrite here, as I've gone back and forth and written bits of later chapters already just so I could include him a bit. It won't be much longer though, promise! I've got the wedding chapter planned out and I'm very excited for it :)**

**Anyway, on to the chapter! I know it's short, but it's a lead-up to more exciting events and I'm hoping it'll keep you placated a little :P Thanks so much for reading!  
**

I sit on the sofa for a while longer, gazing out the window at the garden and replaying my conversations with Iori in my mind. I think of his face and his subtle but quick-changing expressions. There's such an intellect behind that mask. That much is obvious, but I'm not sure I've made much progress in figuring him out. I wish I'd had more time to talk to him. I feel an unaccustomed pang of loneliness at his sudden departure.

When I wander back up to my bedroom, I'm surprised to find a note taped to my door. It reads;

"_Ema,_  
_ If you see this in time and it isn't too much of a bother, would you mind helping me with the laundry? I'll be on the roof. _

_ Ukyo"_

That's right... I haven't really been assigned chores in the house yet. I should really ask Ukyo about that. Has he been waiting long?

I hurry up to the roof, hoping I haven't missed him. Sure enough, I can make out his tall frame from the other side of a clothesline. His back is to me. The sun playing off his shoulders highlights the natural contours of his figure through his light t-shirt and reminds me of the picture in his room. He looked so carefree with his arms around his brothers. I want to bring that same smile to his face. A mischievous thought hits me and I wonder what Ukyo looks like when he's startled.

Smiling to myself, I sneak along behind the row of air-drying sheets until I'm directly behind him. To my surprise, I find myself suddenly wrapped in a half-dried duvet cover and pinned helpless by a pair of strong arms. I try to struggle but it's no use.

"I swear to God, Tsubaki, if you come up here one more time looking for Ema I'll throw you off the roof myself." Ukyo's voice is muffled by the layers of cloth, but it's obvious that he doesn't know I'm the one he's captured.

"Um... Ukyo?" I try to say, but there's cloth wrapped around my face and I can't speak properly.

"Okay, yes, I admit it. She's beautiful and maybe she does look a little like Reiko... but that's where the similarities stop. Quit trying to goad me into saying anything more." With a soft plop, I find that I've been tossed into the pile of damp laundry, which skids a few inches backwards and tips sideways under my weight. I throw a hand out of the basket and catch myself, my mind swimming. Reiko? Who is Reiko? And what has Tsubaki been saying to Ukyo?

I struggle with the large swath of fabric for a few moments before managing to free myself and I'm both worried and amused to see Uyko's face blanch with shock. He hurries to the basket and kneels beside me, extending a hand to help me out of the tangle of laundry.

"Ema, are you alright? Did I hurt you? I thought you were Tsubaki... I should have realized you were too light." His grey eyes look so concerned that I feel myself blush, regretting the decision to try to scare him in the first place.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry though. I thought it might be funny to sneak up on you. I didn't realize that probably happens a lot with so many brothers around." I stare down at the rumpled basket of laundry guiltily. What was I thinking? A light shiver of surprise runs down my back as Ukyo brushes a stray strand of hair off my forehead. His face is so close to mine that I can see his thickset blonde eyelashes catching the sun.

"Promise me you're alright?" His voice is soft and there's a pleading note that catches me off guard.

"I - I'm fine, don't worry. I was just thinking about the picture of you and your brothers at the beach and I thought maybe I could get you to smile like that if I jumped out at you... Not my best idea." I admit in embarrassment. To my surprise, Ukyo's worried expression turns into one of amusement and he throws his head back with a laugh.

"You don't have to scare me to make me smile, Ema," he tells me, and the laundry basket tips in the opposite direction as he pulls me against him in a hug, still chuckling. A soft laugh escapes my lips as well and I hug Ukyo around the waist, both grateful and still a little embarrassed.

"Why is it that every time I see you two together you have your arms around our little sister, Ukyo-nii?" Ukyo's back stiffens under my fingers and over the top of his shoulder I see a tall man with long, auburn hair striding toward us with an amused smile on his face. He seems... familiar, but I can't place him. And then I realize.

"Hi - Hikaru?" I venture. He tilts his head at me in acknowledgement.

"Well done. You'd be surprised how few people recognize me." It's no wonder, I think, staring up at this strange new male-Hikaru. Dressed in a tailored jacket and slacks, hair pulled back in a ponytail and his face bare of any trace of makeup, I can only make out a passing resemblance to the woman I met before. His eyes turn back to his brother.

"... well? Are you planning to release the poor girl any time soon?" I feel Ukyo's arms around me loosen and he helps me to my feet with a sharp look at Hikaru.

"Save the imagination for your novels, brother. She's family. What did you need?" An impish grin spreads itself across the redhead's face.

"Actually, I need to borrow Ema." He turns his attention to me. "There's a package waiting for you downstairs. Will you come see it?" My curiosity is piqued, but I remember the note Ukyo taped to my door. I don't want to leave him to do all the laundry himself. I look over at him and he nods his head as if encouraging me to go, but...

"I promised Ukyo that I'd help him with the laundry. Would it be alright if I came down after that?" I ask Hikaru. Am I imagining the glint of amusement in his eyes as he registers my response? He tilts his head at me.

"Of course, Ema. I'll leave the box in the living room for you. See you in a bit!"

With a wave at the two of us he saunters back across the roof to the elevator doors, long hair whipping in the breeze. I watch him go with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. What was all that about?

When I turn back around to help hang up the contents of the upset basket, Ukyo is regarding me with a strangely tender expression that makes me blush.

"I came up here to help you," I remind him, hoping he doesn't notice the pink tinge on my cheeks. "I'm not one to break a promise."

"I believe you," he tells me softly, his hand closing briefly on mine and giving it a gentle squeeze as he hands me a clothespin. "Thank you."


End file.
